Adrian Smith, son of Lincoln’s Colin and Diana Smith, is in Nepal helping with earthquake relief (see Diana Smith’s letter to the editor on April 30). He sent the following update on May 6:
Arriving a week after the earthquake, we were the first to provide relief in Chaukati, delivering over 10,000 lbs. of aid and providing medical service to several hundred people. Most medical issues we could treat on site and we have brought two villagers with us back to Kathmandu for treatment here. Due to such a generous outpouring of support from you and many others, we now intend to provide one 35-kg. bag of rice, a tarp and sleeping mattress to 670 households comprising nine settlements in the area. Every village in the region is in the same condition as Chaukati and most have yet to see any significant relief response. We intend to act quickly and accomplish this within the week. A tarp provides much-needed shelter with the monsoon approaching, and 35 kg. of rice can sustain each family for a month with some supplements that they will be able to gather (wild nettles, ferns and other greens as well as what they are able to recover from their houses). Foam mattresses are cheap and light to transport and provide some dignity and comfort. We were pleased to see that their terraced crops have fared well and will be ready to harvest within five months. After assessing the now quite delayed response of the government and NGOs, we will supplement food stocks as needed until the region will be able to regain food stability with the next harvest. We are also formulating a longer-range plan involving rebuilding the school.
The people of Chaukati are incredibly resilient and the help now is critical for their recovery. We will be writing again in roughly two weeks to update you on their progress and our work in the surrounding area.
Checks made out to Adrian Smith (memo: Earthquake Relief) sent to the address below will be forwarded to him. one hundred percent of the donations will go to help the villagers, although donations are not tax-deductible. The address is:
c/o Diana Smith
P.O. Box 6294
Lincoln MA 01773