PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — A local Nepali restaurant owner is trying to spread awareness of the plight of his country, following the massive flooding along its border with China.
About a week ago, Nepal was hit with devastating floods thanks to the collapse and recession of glaciers in the Himalayan region. Crews have been searching for thousands of people still unaccounted for, while citizens mourn the more than 1,000 that have died.
“It’s unbelievable, the flood. A lot of people are missing, a lot of houses are gone or damaged, so we are trying to do something,” said Bhrat Bist, a native of Kathmandu and owner of Nepali Momo Kitchen in Spring Garden as well as Mount Masala in Voorhees.
Bist said he was shaken watching video of floodwaters wiping out entire communities. “Never thought, like never, ever thought that was coming. I saw the videos, and it was hard to sleep for two, three days,” he told KYW Newsradio.
The restaurant owner has advised people who want to help to donate to the Prime Minister’s Disaster Relief Fund. He said some Nepalis have lost just about everything.
“A lot of them have no house. A lot have nothing, no clothes. They are wearing just one [set of] clothes, they shower and they wear the same clothes,” said Bist.
Still, he praised the people of Nepal as resilient. “In Nepal, there are a lot of Gurkhas (soldiers). They are so brave, they know how to survive. They’ve lost, but now they are trying to move on, so they are getting there.”
Bist is hosting a disaster relief fundraiser at Mount Masala next Thursday evening. It’s a $25 buffet and all sales will be donated to flood relief efforts. He said a lot of people have told him they want to help.
“We feel so lucky. Humanity is there. There are a lot of helping people in this world.”
