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Baton Rouge photographer provides relief to the Nepalis

A young girl waits at the door of her family’s temporary shelter, made of branches and leaves.

Pitts, on the hunt for additional relief supplies.
Pitts, on the hunt for additional relief supplies.

Text and photos
by Adam Pitts

“Adam, move!” my friend exclaims.

I’m on the steps of a four-story building about 50 miles northeast of Kathmandu, Nepal. The buildings above me are trembling. I dash away to safety, heart pounding. I’ve just experienced my first aftershock.

The nonprofit organization that I head, Compassion United, has several projects in Nepal. In the wake of the April 25 earthquake that devastated the area, I traveled there to assist relief efforts.

Picking up the pieces, a woman sorts through what remains of her home outside Kathmandu.
Picking up the pieces, a woman sorts through what remains of her home outside Kathmandu.

I’d spent the past several days traveling with my brother-in-law, Robert Casiello, and a group of about 30 Nepalese volunteers to a remote region of Nepal, where more than 2,500 people perished during the quake. With homes reduced to rubble and monsoon rains approaching, the people were in dire need of shelter.

Our team had acquired 1,000 tents in India and traveled for more than 36 hours by bus to this remote area of Nepal. The tents were temporary shelters to help the rural communities survive the monsoons. Afterward, we planned to help them build more permanent structures.

About a week after we experienced the first aftershock, a second earthquake hit, registering 7.3 on the Richter scale. This aftershock was only slightly weaker than the initial April 25 quake, which registered at 7.9. Villages where we had already distributed tents experienced even more damage, and areas previously only moderately affected were now leveled.

Following the 7.3 aftershock on May 12, residents of Bhaktapur, a suburb of Kathmandu, moved into tents out of fear of the structural stability of their homes.
Following the 7.3 aftershock on May 12, residents of Bhaktapur, a suburb of Kathmandu, moved into tents out of fear of the structural stability of their homes.

This trip was my eighth to Nepal but by far the most emotionally difficult.

Shortly after the 7.3 aftershock, I was in a suburb of Kathmandu. As I was returning to our vehicle, a woman stumbled toward us, supported by her friends. She was sobbing, having just found out that a loved one had been killed in the most recent aftershock. A few minutes later, we were brought to the ruins of a home. It was unrecognizable, a dresser and table barely visible amidst the debris. It was here that a husband and his wife, who was eight months pregnant, had also been killed by the quake.

A woman mourns the news that a loved one has been killed in the 7.3 earthquake on May 12.
A woman mourns the news that a loved one has been killed in the 7.3 earthquake on May 12.

Further into the countryside, entire villages had been razed. Villagers rummaged over the ruins of their homes, still in shock. More than 25 people had perished in this tiny fishing village alone. This scene was repeated in village after village, town after town.

In these rural areas, there is no home insurance, no safety net to enable these poor communities to rebound from such devastation. Locals have lost everything, including friends and loved ones.

After we had passed out the tents during this trip, we chose two villages that Compassion United and our Nepali partners would commit to rebuild and restore together.

Although the conditions are dire, the Nepalis are a resilient people who, despite unthinkable adversity, never waver in joy and hospitality. I am grateful for the opportunity to help these wonderful people and am thankful for all our local partners and donors who make Compassion United’s relief and rebuilding efforts possible.

A teary eyed woman enthusiastically offers her thanks for a tent, mat and blanket.
A teary eyed woman enthusiastically offers her thanks for a tent, mat and blanket.

How to help

To contribute to Compassion United’s earthquake relief and rebuilding efforts, visit compassionunited.gives. Compassion United workers volunteer their aid, so 100% of all donations go directly to the designated project. Check out more photos from Pitts’ trip below: