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Messenger gets first-hand look at damage in Nepal continued from p.12 Ram's story is just one of the many heartbreaking tales Messenger brought home with him. "One of the most memorable ones was from a nearby village where I met a man who told me about his 25-year-old daughter-inlaw, who was also eight months pregnant. She was killed when her house collapsed," Messenger said. "But she was found huddled over her five-year-old daughter, who was injured, but survived. She gave her life to save her daughter. "Stories like that stay with you. You recognize that for each one I heard, there were probably thousands (of) others.... "When you arrive back home, you really think about what you have and how would you be able to cope if suddenly everything you had disappeared... We get upset when the Internet is slow. Imagine if there was suddenly no electricity, no safe drinking water and no place to live. "Imagine running outside with your kids only to see your home collapse in front of you. It's hard to get your mind around it." Messenger said the landscape he encountered during his five days in Nepal was much different than what he had experienced in other disaster areas such as the Philippines when Typhoon Haiyan struck. "In the Philippines, there were areas that were completely flattened," Messenger said. "In Nepal, often the scope of the damage was unclear. From the outside, the buildings looked as if there wasn't any damage, but when you looked inside, you saw the cracks. "You might turn a corner and there would be nothing but rubble... Then you'd see buildings that resembled doll houses with their back ripped off." In a town called Bhoj Kumar, just outside of Kathmandu, Messenger said it was estimated 85-90 per cent of the homes were either beyond repair or destroyed, or not fit to live in. "Even people who had homes that were safe didn't want to initially return to them because there was a fear that they would come down during the next aftershock," Messenger said. "The locals have this omen that when the crows caw, it's a sign that something bad is soon going to happen. It's like an earlywarning sign and when the crows cawed, the people would tremble. "There was such a deep sense of fear, especially in the early days, that another quake could happen anytime." World Vision has had a presence in Nepal since 1982 and many of its 200 staff was immediately sent to the quake zone while other specially-trained emergency response team members arrived soon afterwards. Nepal is one of the world's poorest nations with an economy driven by its tourism, which has been crippled by the quake. The country will need enormous help and resources from the international community just to rebuild the homes and businesses destroyed by the quake. Since the quake, more than 4,000 rescue workers from 34 different countries have come to Nepal to provide emergency medical care, rescue operations and other necessities. To donate to World Vision Canada's Nepal mission, visit www.worldvision.ca, or to donate to the Canadian Red Cross Nepal response, visit www.redcross.ca. For more photos and video, visit www.oakvillebeaver.com. 13 | Thursday, May 7, 2015 | OAKVILLE BEAVER | www.insideHALTON.com Oakview Funeral Home: a special place to remember You are unique. Your loved ones are unique. So at your time of need or when planning ahead, rely on our specialists to provide everything you need to create a one-of-a-kind remembrance. Call us today for or a FREE Planning Kit! 905-842-2252 905-842-2252 Look for us on Facebook Visit www.oakviewfuneral.ca for a virtual tour of our funeral home. by Arbor Memorial 56 Lakeshore Road, W., Oakville Arbor Memorial Inc. Oakview Funeral Home Family Owned. Proudly Canadian.