As the death toll from the weekend’s 7.8-magnatude Nepalese earthquake continues to rise, many Utahns are working to get much needed aid to the country.
Romikia Maharjan considers herself lucky; the Utah resident’s entire family still lives in Nepal and, though their house was destroyed in the earthquake, they are all alive. She said two days after the earthquake, her mother’s uncle is still awaiting surgery for a fractured leg, which he sustained in the quake.
“His leg is fractured. He has to go to the surgery but nothing has been done with him. He is still outside the hospital waiting for his turn to get the cures and the medicine,” Maharjan said.
Maharjan is the secretary of the Nepalese Association of Utah. In a meeting held at the University of Utah on Sunday, the group announced it would be collecting funds through a PayPalaccount for the American Red Cross to help the victims of the earthquake. They have also offered to help other Utahns contact their family and friends, in the small, Himalayan country.
“If they know anyone who is in Nepal and is missing there, we’d be more than happy to help them to find them also,” Maharjan said.
The group will be holding a candlelight vigil for those killed and injured in the quake at 7 p.m. on Friday at 451 South State Street, Washington Square in Salt Lake City.