North Carolina groups raising money to help Nepal earthquake victims
RALEIGH (WTVD) -- Thakur Karkee is thousands of miles away from his elderly parents and sister who are living in what's left of Katmandu.
Following the massive earthquake that rocked Nepal, Karkee said his family is living in a tent because of the fear of more aftershocks.
"They're constantly running inside the house, making meal quickly, and then run out in the tent in the open space. That has been life for the last couple of days," he said.
Karkee is a member of the Nepal Center of North Carolina. The group is now working to raise money for their non-profit so they can send it home as soon as possible.
Click here for more information on how to donate.
Karkee is hoping the relief will especially find its way to places outside of Katmandu.
"They are rural places and houses are made out of bricks and mud and most of them are demolished," he explained.
The cousin of a Raleigh man - Chris Butler - is currently at the Katmandu airport collecting potable water tablets from people leaving Nepal so he can bring them back to his neighborhood in Katmandu.
In addition to the human cost, Nepal also lost much of its cultural heritage.
"They had, you know, centuries of history represented in these squares, and it just crumbled to the ground. They're just large piles of dirt," said Butler by phone from Nepal.
Butler helped found an orphanage in Nepal called Sam's House (named for his grandfather).
They're taking donations to be used on the ground.
And all kinds of international relief organizations are also working to help.
