Charities reach out in attempt to aid those affected by Nepal earthquake

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Photo courtesy of Wiki Commons

Nepal is left in ruins following a 7.8 magnitude earthquake.

On April 25, Nepal shook due to a 7.8 magnitude earthquake that struck the small Himalayan nation. The epicenter was located in the densely-populated capital city of Kathmandu, affecting over 8 million people and killing over 7,000.

The quake was felt in multiple countries and even on Mount Everest where four Americans died in an avalanche. After the shaking stopped, panic induced in the nation and around the world.

“It was a walk of survival,” a quake survivor told CNN. “My brain refused to feel anything apart from putting one leg before the other until the mountains were left behind.”

While the earthquake was widely mentioned online and in print news, the event was not as greatly covered on broadcast news as riots in Baltimore broke out after another police brutality incident.

“People need to be more aware about what is going on around them and reach out and do whatever they can to help,” senior Rahul Sansi said.

Charities and aid relief companies like the Red Cross and UNICEF arrived immediately in Nepal and even popular websites like Facebook have stepped up to help with donations. Additionally, many schools and universities across the United States are running blood drives to aid the Nepalese.

Facebook specifically has placed a banner along the top of users’ timelines asking if they would like to donate to assist those affected by the earthquake in their efforts to restore the country.

“I think that it’s a great idea because it helps raise awareness about what happened [in Nepal],” Sansi said, regarding Facebook’s donation system. “It encourages people to make donations to help those in need.”