I don’t know what happened during the last two weeks.  I do know that on May 15 we took a short accounting of our work and realized we’d just placed over 20 tons of rice, sheet metal, medical supplies, tents and tarps in the field.  We survived a 7.3 magnitude aftershock and continue to function– and occasionally sleep– through our  daily 4.2 to 4.9 jolts.

We’re concentrating our efforts in Sindhupalchowk:  Nepal’s hardest hit area and it seems to be a vortex of events and bad luck for those living and trying to assist the living in the area.  We mourn the loss of 6 brave American Marines and 2 Nepali lives that were lost in a helicopter crash on Kalinchowk hill:  less that a kilometer from our project area.   We also watched with a combination of frustration and horror as villagers scrambled up hillsides with our new metal sheeting in hand to get away from mudslides that were triggered by a 7.3 aftershock: The epicenter of which was located no more than 10 kilometers from our projects area.  Dolakha, the major town in our region was just hit by a 5.0 aftershock yesterday, and we’ve had our truck turned around by both marauding gangs of looters and mudslides.

About the only thing I can say at this point is that we’re still here and we don’t plan on going anywhere.  Himalayan Aid will continue to direct relief efforts to Nepal’s hardest hit area and will continue to do so until we run out of resources, options and money.

That’s where you come in: Hit the “donate” button at the top of this website and do your best.  $50 shelters one family of five from the monsoon or feeds 4 families for about a week.  Your money goes a long way in Nepal.

We’re going to dedicate this space to frequent updates, so check in with us frequently.  I’ll do my best to give you real time updates and promise to keep my grouchy behavior to a minimum.

Namaste and thanks for the support,

Jim