Shreya Ahuja, a 30-year-old physician residing in North Carolina, shared her emotionally charged experience concerning her missing parents. She had spoken with them mere hours before the devastating floods hit Nepal. Her parents had completed a pilgrimage trek to Mount Kailash and were en route to the border when disaster struck.
‘I tried texting them. I tried calling them. Initially, I wasn’t too concerned,’ Ahuja shared in a conversation with Morning Edition. She explained the unbelieving sentiment many have regarding the possibility of loved ones being caught in such tragic events.
Recent reports from Nepalese authorities indicated that as of Friday, over 500 people had been confirmed dead, with more than 1,500 individuals still missing after severe flooding led to nearly 30-foot-high waves cascading through a river between Tibet and Nepal.
Deepak and Madhu Ahuja, Shreya’s parents, were born in India and relocated to the U.S. in the 1990s. They operate a small business in Dallas and hold U.S. citizenship. They embarked on the pilgrimage in celebration of Deepak Ahuja’s 60th birthday. Their last known whereabouts was the Gyirong border crossing between China and Nepal, a location captured on CCTV footage where flooding obliterated the building they were supposed to be in.
Currently in Washington, D.C., Ahuja stays hopeful and determined alongside family members, including her grandparents. ‘It’s essentially been one long day. Haven’t really slept,’ she expressed during an NPR interview with Steve Inskeep. Ahuja emphasized the urgency of reaching her parents in time.
She urged people to reach out to their legislators and advocated for increased collaboration between India, Nepal, China, and the United States. Additionally, she requested the authorization of Starlink in Nepal, explaining that friends at SpaceX had attempted to deploy equipment there without success. ‘These are all tangible things that could really help us get into contact with people on the ground,’ Ahuja stated.
Listen to the full interview by clicking the play button above.
This radio interview underwent production and editing by Lilly Quiroz and Adam Bearne, while Treye Green handled the digital version’s editing.