By Bill Parry
The 40,000 Nepali immigrants in New York City were hit hard by the catastrophic 7.8 earthquake that devastated their homeland last Saturday, with a death toll that passed 5,200 by Wednesday. Nepalese prime minister Sushil Koirala warned that the death toll could climb past 10,000.
The Nepalese community, centered in Elmhurst, Jackson Heights and Woodside, made Diversity Plaza their own on Sunday with over a thousand on hand for a prayer vigil. Thousands more made their way to Jackson Heights as the vigils continued around the clock the entire week.
The New York Nepalese Football Club organized the gatherings and had raised over $32,000 by midweek. They plan to wire the money to their club president, who is in Nepal’s ancient capital, Kathmandu.
“Whenever the country is in pain we unite and try to help the best we can,” organizer Pralay Raj Bhandari said. “A lot of our families are safe, although one player lost his uncle. We are raising funds and we’re accepting clothing and food, anything that might make life easier back home.”
The football club received permission from the city to hold a larger prayer vigil at the Pedestrian Plaza in Times Square from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. this Friday. Their place at Diversity Plaza will be taken by members of the United Sherpa Association of Elmhurst who will continue the prayer vigils and fund-raising.
“We had over 400 attend a service in our temple last Sunday,” United Sherpa Association President Agha Saleh said. “We have raised over $23,000 for the victims of this tragedy and we won’t stop collecting.”
State Assemblyman Francisco Moya (D-Jackson Heights) wants members of Queens’ Nepalese and South Asian community to know that his office “stands ready to help” anyone in need of assistance. City Councilman Daniel Dromm (D-Jackson Heights) said, “On Sunday, I joined my constituents in Diversity Plaza as a show of support for the earthquake victims. Many established organizations, such as Adhikaar, the Red Cross and UNICEF need our support in the form of cash contributions, This is the best way we can help right now.”
Adhikaar, a non-profit Nepali human rights foundation, created an IndieGoGo page to raise money and the American Nepali Medical Foundation has collected $170,000 so far. The U.S. Agency for International Development has sent a disaster response team of 130 humanitarians and search-and-rescue workers, while the United States pledged $10 million in relief assistance.
The United Nations launched a $415 million appeal Wednesday to address “critical needs for shelter, water and sanitation, emergency health, food and protection over the next three months,” according to a statement. In addition to the rising death toll, more than 11,000 were injured and nearly a half a million were displaced from their homes.
U.N. Resident Coordinator Jamie McGoldrick, a former Sunnyside resident, warned that the damage discovered so far is “just the tip of the iceberg” and they will know more after communication difficulties are worked out.
Meanwhile, U.S. Rep. Grace Meng (D-Flushing) co-sponsored legislation Wednesday that grants Temporary Protected Status to Nepalese citizens presently in Queens and throughout the United States who have been affected by the earthquake. The bill would protect citizens of Nepal from deportation or detainment, so that they are not forced to return to unsafe conditions in their homeland.
“The loss of life, injuries and destruction of property is overwhelming,” Meng said. “The U.S. and the international community must continue to assist with much-needed relief and recovery efforts, and this legislation would help, as well as ensuring that citizens of Nepal are not forced to return to dangerous and disastrous conditions that the earthquake has caused in their country.”
Reach reporter Bill Parry by e-mail at bparr
