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Earthquake doesn’t rattle unity amongst Boston Nepalese – Metro US

Earthquake doesn’t rattle unity amongst Boston Nepalese

Earthquake doesn’t rattle unity amongst Boston Nepalese
PHOTO BY NICOLAUS CZARNECKI/METRO

The devastating earthquake that ravaged Nepal on Saturday has conjured up a large outpouring of sympathy and charity on an international level as search and rescue teams seek out survivors and locals attempt to rebuild their lives.

The 7.8 magnitude quake has claimed the lives of well over 4,500 people and has injured over 9,000. These numbers are expected to increase as rescuers work against the clock.

Members of the local Nepalese community in the Greater Boston Area have rallied in Copley Square in downtown Boston and in Harvard Square in Cambridge, holding candlelight vigils and raising money for to help in the quake’s wake.

Groups held a fundraiser rally in Harvard Square in the shadow of the main entrance of the T stop on Wednesday. A candlelight vigil was held later that evening as well.

Sudip Pokhero, 23, ran around the bricks sidewalks setting up flags, signs, banners and a PA system for the rally to spread awareness and advocate for charity for his homeland.

“Everyone over there is suffering right now. Thankfully, my family is safe, but a lot of my friends and their families are hurting right now,” Pokhero said, describing the situation as “so heartbreaking.”

Pokhero said that the groups he is in contact with are adamant on getting clean water and tents over to those in need, which is a growing number.

“I have many friends from down south calling me and telling me that they have a sense of what we are going through after they went through Hurricane Katrina,” said BU grad student Pankaj Kahadka, 25, also from Kathmandu. “They understand the misery of the situation. These are things that until they happen to you personally, you can’t really know what they are like.”