Independently Owned, Locally Grown, Community Loved
Whitsunday Lions Club. Photo credit: Zach Houtenville
As Nepal reels from catastrophic flash flooding that has killed more than 1,000 people and left thousands missing, the Whitsunday Lions Club is rallying the local community to support those affected at their weekly markets this Saturday.
On Wednesday 26th August after a glacier collapsed and triggered a landslide, a flash flood rushed through the valley below and into the Rasuwa district villages along the Trishuli River in central Nepal.
Travelling at an estimated 50 metres per second, the wall of water, ice, mud and debris gave communities little time to react, sweeping away homes, roads and bridges, with the destruction stretching more than 100 kilometres downstream.
As of Wednesday 2nd September, at least 1,050 people had been confirmed deceased and about 4,000 remained missing. Among those unaccounted for were 583 tourists, including 38 Australians, according to an ABC News report. More than 11,000 people had been rescued, while emergency crews continued searching remote communities and debris-filled tunnels.
The scale of the disaster has left tens of thousands of people in urgent need of support, with United Nations spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric telling ABC News that about 65,000 people require emergency water, sanitation and hygiene assistance.
"More than 22,000 children need protection. 2,600 children under five are expected to need treatment for severe wasting," Stéphane Dujarric said.
"And around 10,500 pregnant and breastfeeding women need nutrition assistance."
In an effort to help out from home, the Whitsunday Lions Club are holding a raffle and collecting donations at their Saturday market with 100% of the funding going straight to Lions of Nepal.
“I’m not just proud of our club, I’m proud of Lions International and that we’re able to help Lions all over the world when there’s a crisis,” said President of the Whitsunday Lions Club Greg Smith.
“Our Lions Club is a small cog in a very, very big wheel. We’re sending money to the Lions Clubs International Foundation, where it will be pooled with donations from around the world.
“The funding is helping those searching for survivors and carrying out rescues, as well as displaced people who need shelter and food.
“I spoke to a personal friend who is a district governor, and he was overwhelmed to think that people in Australia would be helping his country in its time of need, he was very emotional.”
Club members will be at the markets from about 8.30am until noon, with a donation tin available for anyone wishing to contribute. The club will also donate its weekly market takings to the Nepal flood appeal, apart from the Whitsunday Regional Council land-use fee.
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