Arizona man missing after devastating floods, mudslides in Nepal
Tempe temple member missing following devastating floods and mudslides in Nepal
A temple in Tempe is saying one of their members, Sri Keshava Rao Tadipatri, who was on a pilgrimage in the area, is missing following the deadly floods in Nepal. FOX 10's Andrew Christiansen learns more.
TEMPE, Ariz. - The Nepalese community in Arizona is still reeling as the death toll in Nepal and Tibet has reached hundreds of people.
Local perspective:
Several thousand are still missing, including one person from Arizona, due to devastating floods and mudslides. Authorities are searching for Sri Keshava Rao Tadpatri, a member of a temple in Tempe who was on a pilgrimage in the area.
What they're saying:
A professor from Arizona State University who is also in charge of the Nepalese Student Association spoke about the devastating impact the event has had.
"Watching these images, watching this footage, seeing the landscape you’ve been seeing wiped away within a few minutes, it was just heartbreaking," said Gyan Nyaupane, a professor at the ASU Watts College of Public Service and Community Solutions. "I couldn't even sleep for a few nights because just watching these images."
Arizona resident missing after catastrophic Nepal and Tibet floods leave 780 dead
A Tempe temple member is missing in Nepal following massive flooding and mudslides. FOX 10'S Andrew Christiansen has more, as more than 780 people have died and thousands remain missing.
He also used to live in Nepal.
"There are some flooding-related disasters in the region, but I think nothing like this," Nyaupane said.
What we know:
Video from the scene shows the shocking and disturbing devastation that the floods and mudslides are having on the area. More than 780 people have died in floodwaters and mudslides, while more than 3,000 people remain missing.
Experts believe the disaster was caused by a piece of a glacier that broke off and fell into a nearby river. As of Aug. 29, there were at least 100 people trapped in a hydropower plant tunnel filled with mud.
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Nyaupane believes officials need to be more proactive with how they build the area and alert people.
"So if there's a system in place where you can see these movements, you can actually warn the people living downstream so that they can evacuate quickly," he said.
Dig deeper:
Experts believe it was caused by a piece of a glacier that broke off and fell into a nearby river.
"There is a potential energy associated with that fault that causes the ice to melt, I guess," Laxman Bokati, an ASU researcher and Geospatial Analyst said. "Along with that water that was already in the channel, it flows downslope, it floods everything that's down to."
Bokati mapped out the area using satellite images to see how the disaster could have happened.
"Like what time did the glacial fall happen and what time did the flood reach," Bokati said. "There is CCTV camera of the border crossing where it was wiped out. And then you get the timestamp from there."
What's next:
The association will be hosting fundraisers for Nepal. Authorities from Nepal estimate it will take about $4 billion to rebuild.
The Source: Information in this report was gathered from temple authorities, local officials in Nepal, and an ASU professor.