Earthquake in Nepal

First off, everyone I know in Nepal is safe.  Some of their homes have been damaged, but everyone is safe and uninjured.  Some have been sleeping outside of their homes until the aftershocks subside.

The earthquake was quite powerful, 7.9 in magnitude.  The aftershocks have been just as powerful, ranging from 4.2 to 6.7.  At the time of this post, there have been 49 aftershocks.  That is a total of 50 powerful earthquakes in the past 4 days.  This is a sobering statistic.

The place where I was staying, Pokhara, is approximately 40 miles from the epicenter.  There has been a lot of new construction there in the past decade or so, so most of the houses were built to withstand earthquakes.  That being said, 50 earthquakes within a four day period is a lot for any structure to withstand.  Kathmandu, the capital city of Nepal, has many older buildings.  Some of the structures destroyed there were centuries old.  Sadly, most of the damage and loss will come from the remote villages in the mountains, where entire villages will be found to be wiped out.  The logistics involved in reaching these villages is challenging. These villages are remote; even under the best conditions, it takes several days of walking (no roads) to get to them.  Helicopters are being brought in to try to get the wounded into hospitals in the cities.  This link describes the challenge of reaching the villages:
http://tenplay.com.au/news/national/latest-news/latest-news/aftershocks-continue-after-nepalese-quake-that-has-left-at-least-2500-dead

I have several missionary friends still in Nepal who are trying to coordinate aid missions to help out the victims.  I have listed links below for donation opportunities if you are interested in helping out the victims of the earthquakes. Whenever giving to an organization, always research and make sure the organizations are legitimate.  Nepal has a poor record regarding legitimate "charities", so do your homework before sending money.  I can vouch for the two links below.  I personally know the people who work with these organizations and what they can accomplish working locally through the connections they have cultivated over the years.

INF= International Nepal Fellowship.  This group has a medical team being dispatched to Gorkha, the epicenter of the earthquake.  They are taking a mobile ward and will work with the Gorhka District Hospital.
https ://give.everydayhero.com/au/inf-earthquake-response

ServLife International, Inc. is an organization devoted to fighting poverty, helping children, and planting churches. Sam and Wendy are getting information from their contacts about the villages to see where the relief is needed the most.  They have been training for disaster relief for the past two years.
Text "ServLife" to 80888