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FFCC providing supplies, lifesaving help in Nepal

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Friends & Family Community Connection is providing a local way for people to give hands-on assistance to the millions impacted by a series of recent earthquakes in Nepal.

The first, a 7.8 magnitude earthquake, struck on April 25, killing and injuring thousands plus affecting millions more. The initial earthquake was reportedly 16 to 22 times more powerful than the quake that struck Haiti in 2010.

FFCC is trying to raise $50,000 to pack 250,000 meals for those in remote areas of Nepal. To make a tax-deductible donation, go to www.ffccsd.org or mail a check to FFCC, 12463 Rancho Bernardo Road, PMB #158, San Diego, CA 92128. Whether donating online or by check, be sure to indicate “Nepal Relief Effort” so FFCC officials know where to designate the funds.

Within a few days, officials said they plan to open online registration for food packing shifts during a Saturday, June 6 event at Cymer in 4S Ranch.

The Rancho Bernardo-based nonprofit organization sent a three-person team to Nepal. FFCC Founder Phil Harris; his son, Kevin Harris; and Registered Nurse John Foster from Escondido arrived in Nepal on May 10.

Upon arrival, they met with community and government leaders to talk about how FFCC can provide assistance. They also visited the Children of Hope Center. It educates more than 400 children and is home to 40 orphans.

The FFCC team has experienced some quakes and aftershocks, such as when a second large earthquake struck on May 12 while the team was enroute to Dolakha. It is in a district that received little aid since the first earthquake.

“Kathmandu is about 30 percent shut down, Dolakha and surrounding villages are between 75 percent and 95 percent destroyed, which are about 8 to 10 hours from Kathmandu,” Phil Harris wrote in a May 14 FFCC email. He said the team had stopped for lunch in a village called Charikot when the 7.3 quake hit.

“We were right on top of the epicenter,” he wrote. “We all bolted out of the building and watched as the building swayed, expecting it to collapse at any moment. Next door to this building we watched another crumble to the ground. All of our backpacks were still inside. It was an eerie feeling trying to guess when would be the right moment to run inside for our gear between aftershocks. ... The aftershocks were intense, the power from this quake was frightening as hundreds of people scrambled for safety.”

After the May 12 quake, the team helped rescue dozens of people from collapsed structures and Foster provided needed medical support.

“We got word that there were people trapped in homes so we drove further into the city to help,” Harris wrote. “With the help of some neighbors we were able to remove a man from the rubble of his house. He was pretty banged up, broken ribs and leg, but alive.

“The next house (was) not as fortunate,” Harris wrote. “Four were trapped, three rescued, but the father was killed. The family was grateful we were able to remove his body. So many of the destroyed homes still have family members buried inside.”

Harris said almost 80 people in Charikot and 95 percent of the buildings and homes left standing will need to be destroyed.

The next day the trio joined a medical team from the United Kingdom in a village three hours away, called Giairnudi, and with the medical supplies brought from San Diego, were able to make a difference.” On the way there was so much destruction, landslides, huge boulders,” Harris wrote.

When they came upon a section of the road blocked by a landslide, the team carried its gear and tents a great distance to set up the makeshift medical team. They provided FFCC’s pre-packaged meals and installed water filters to protect against diseases like cholera for the hundreds of families now living in a tent city.

Their next destination was Okhaldhuga, one of the hardest hit areas. The team rented a bus to carry all the tents, canopies, blankets, medical supplies and supplies sent by San Diegans.

“The Nepali people are so wonderful and so grateful for our love and support,” Harris wrote.

On May 16, the team experienced a 5.3 earthquake and were again in its epicenter. “We hiked up and down the mountainside to three different villages bringing tarps, meals and filters,” Harris wrote in a May 19 email. “The altitude and steepness of the mountains made the travel difficult but ... worth it once we arrived and met the people.”

In addition to the upcoming food packing, where easy to prepare nutritious meals are assembled, FFCC’s future Nepal plans include sending more water filters, supplies and perhaps volunteer teams. Water filters to provide clean water to a family cost $75.

For details on FFCC’s efforts, now and in the future, go to www.ffccsd.org.

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