New Westminster’s Eoin White is in shock and disbelief after a second earthquake shook Nepal Tuesday.
White, a retired Burnaby fire captain, was already raising money for the Nepalese families he works with through his Mount Everest trekking company after the first quake hit on April 25. News of the second quake has White worried, as the epicentre is much closer to Everest.
“I was shocked and also very concerned because of where it’s happened now. The people that were there in that region, their house fell down, but the (first) earthquake was miles and miles away,” White told the Burnaby NOW Tuesday morning. “Now, the earthquake is right underneath their house. It’s going to be a real concern.”
White is a legend in Nepal, where he’s run his trekking company for the past 12 years. The Nepalese families he works with call him “papa,” and some believe he is their father reincarnated.
White launched a FundAid campaign on May 5 hoping to raise $35,000, which would cover the costs of new homes for seven families. Since then, he’s raised more than $13,000 online - that’s not counting the thousands in pledges and donations coming from his network of mountain trekkers and firefighters.
Meanwhile, White has been calling and emailing Nepal, but the phone lines are overloaded, so he has no idea if everyone is OK. White’s families are in the Khumbu region surrounding Everest.
“Funny, I was just talking to two of my Sherpa families last night about the reconstruction and materials needed after the quake,” he said. “When you have an earthquake like that, you don’t have another one for 100 years or so - I just told them that last night.”
The April 25 quake measured 7.8 on the Richter scale and left more than 8,000 dead, 18,000 injured and countless people sleeping outdoors. Tuesday’s quake has only added to the death toll; at least 66 are dead, and those numbers will likely rise as rescue crews search through the rubble.
White is also hosting a fundraising party, clothing drive and dinner at his home to help gather more aid for Nepal. To donate online, go to www.fundaid.ca/nepal.
