Day 3 after the Quake

Today is day 3 after the earthquake... Our last tremor was this morning, around 6 am. This was the longest stretch we had without tremors, and it gives us hope that it might be finished. Our biggest worry is that there would be an even bigger shock coming. Rumors abound, that experts have predicted the BIG ONE is still to come. Often, we hear more precise predictions, that in the next hour, there will be another quake. These usually don't happen. 

Currently we have a stock of water and food, but no power at the house. We have no WiFi but use the internet through our mobile phones. Not sure yet when electricity will come back, it seems it is already back in some neighborhoods.
This city however does not feel like it is in chaos. Most of the buildings in the city center that collapsed were old temples or old houses. The city still looks like a refugee camp because people are still worried that another big shock is coming, so they prefer to sleep outside. We are hosting about 20 people, the Dutch contingent, which is mostly looking for a way out of the country, and neighbors who sleep on the lawn or under the carport. 

Today we went to the hospital to donate blood. It seemed like, besides hosting, we hadn't done much to contribute. The hospital was quite well organized, with a help-desk at the entrance, and several improvised sections for treatments outside. The hallways were cramped with people. We donated quite quickly, there were maybe four people ahead of us. 

Thomas got a phone call from RTBF radio station in Belgium, to explain the current situation. Niranjan, our Nepali friend also showed up to donate. 

We asked whether we could volunteer and were quickly and efficiently allocated to a specific stand, which seemed to be mostly about bandages and open wounds. Feeling quite lost though, it isn't easy to know where to begin. So many people walked by, seeming in need of help, but, besides a first aid training, I didn't know what to do. We observed the four or five people in white coats from our section and tried to figure out ways to be helpful. I see a paramedic turn to our table and try to disinfect her hands, but the tube is empty. Maybe that is something I can solve, without causing any harm, I think, so I take the empty tube and start looking to replace it. I wind up at the pharmacy, where I show the tube, they ask me for which stand it is, and I reply it is the green stand, which is duly noted. Feeling a tiny bit victorious, I put the full tube back. Looking around for a next challenge, I see a shirtless guy walking with his arm in plaster. It is attached by a tiny piece of rope to his shoulder, as a sling. I start rummaging for a better sling in our section, but can't find any. I walk to the next section, where they have a carton box of slings, neck collars etc, and ask them whether they can hep the guy. They start going through the box, quickly find one and put it on the guy, who had been walking away. Okay, it seems I'm getting the hang of this I think. An elderly gentlemen is standing a bit off, favoring his injured leg. I ask him to sit down and look at this knee, which he injured jumping from a terrace. I can't do much about that, so I accompany him again to the next section, where they had the slings.

A guy comes to sit down, at our section, with bandages around his head and wrist. I've seen the others take off the bandages to clean the wounds by pouring liquid on the bandages so they stick less. No need for a doctors diploma to be able to help with that, I think. So I approach him and very carefully start peeling the bandages. He has a major cut at the back of his head, which had been stitched, some bruising at the front, and a sprained wrist. I ask another doctor to help, and he assists me, handing me tape and stuff. Through him, I ask some questions, whether he had it X-rayed, if he could still move it, whether he was staying at the hospital or going home. Once the bandages are off, I disinfect and put on new ones. The other doctor turns out to be a medical student and is asking me why I use this product rather than another one, etc. It seems to me that cause I'm a westerner I'm getting credited with too much knowledge, so I quickly explain I am not a doctor or nurse, and only had a first aid training. Anyway, we stayed for a while, helping with bandages and disinfecting wounds. You still feel pretty powerless to change much though. 

End of the afternoon, we also went to a meeting in our neighborhood some friends of ours that are trying to help out in affected areas. They want to focus on one specific area outside of Kathmandu, and help with shelter, drinking water and sanitation issues. Very complicated though because it all depends on what resources you have ( transportation, tents, water..) and if you're not a professional, it is hard to know where to start. As it doesn't seem we have specific resources to contribute (and because of my dislike of humanitarian relief, we don't really get involved.

In the evening, I get contacted by Belgian media (VRT and RTBF). It seems no journalist from Belgium has made it to Nepal yet, so they're interested in updates. We keep trying to keep our mobiles off to save batteries, since the only thing we have to recharge is a transportable solar panel that Thomas brought for our hikes. Hence, please understand it is difficult to reply to many of the emails and messages of people worried about our safety which is why I am prioritizing this blog, to keep others informed of our situation, without answering individually, which also uses up a lot of bandwidth and phones which might be necessary elsewhere. I will try to keep it updated as often as possible.