We have escaped in the last second. Our house is in ruins…
Published: May 7, 2015 Reading time: 2 minutes
Mr. Gurung is pushing through the crowd. When his time comes, he makes a fingerprint on distribution list and takes a package with a large white tarpaulin and rope. There are hundreds of people in the line behind him. In this village, People in Need is distributing 445 tarpaulins, which will provide shelter for more than 2000 people.
The villagers are from the remote district of Kerabari in the Gorkha region in Nepal. Most of the houses were destroyed here, high in the mountains. So far, Mr. Goreng, his old mother and 14 other family members have to sleep in community center or in the fields. Now, thanks to humanitarian aid from Czech Republic, the can build a temporary shelter to protect them from the monsoon rains.
He proudly handles the tarpaulin to his mother. She is standing in the doorway of their house, which looks undamaged at first. However, there is only a pile of rubble inside. Ms. Seti Gurung is wearing golden earrings and necklace, according to local traditions. She is 78 years old and she spent all her life here in Kerabari. Now, she ended up without a house. “When it happened, I was working in the field, just like most of the other people. The ground started to shake so heavily that the houses were falling down like paper. I realized that my mother is still in the house…” explains her son. His mother passionately continues the story: “I immediately tried to run outside, supporting myself against the walls and furniture. Right after I got out, the roof collapsed inside.”
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Ms. Seti and her son consider their next steps. They are going to try to repair their house. “We have a small field with corn, so we are not that hungry. First of all, we need some place to live. We cannot stay in the house,” explains Mr. Gurung. They are afraid that the remains of house can collapse during the ongoing small tremors. “And we will need some monety to repair the house,” he adds.