Philadelphia's Nepalese community helping recovery efforts after devastating floods

PHILADELPHIA - After the devastating floods in Nepal earlier this week, Nepalese-American community members are coming together across Philadelphia to help in the recovery efforts.

The backstory:

Wednesday's flooding was likely caused by a collapsed glacier at the Himalayan border between Nepal and China, and so far has claimed more than 500 lives, with nearly 2,000 still unaccounted for.

Gigi Giri owns multiple restaurants in Philadelphia with her husband, Bharat, and is from Nepal. Right now, she says her thoughts are with those thousands of miles away.

"It's Nepal, it's where I come from, and obviously that's my home country and family, so it was really sad, of course, seeing all those videos," Giri said. "I couldn't sleep."

Giri is one of many in the Nepalese-American community awaiting answers on those missing.

Why you should care:

To help their community, the couple is hosting fundraisers at their two restaurants — Nepali Momo Kitchen and Mount Masala — to benefit relief efforts. 

At Temple University, PhD student Pralad Phuyal is also bringing attention to the cause. He's working with the Nepali Student Association and nearby universities, including the University of Pennsylvania, to hold a vigil and donation drive at Clark Park.

"Those kinds of floods and damages and lives that are gone and missing persons, [it] feels very sad since we are abroad and can't do much," said Phuyal. "We can donate and raise awareness about what to do after the flood."

"A single penny, or anything, will be really helpful," Giri said. "It does matter. Any help, just praying for our community would be a great help at this moment, too.

What you can do:

You can find more information on how to help flood victims in Nepal, click here.

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