How Nepali diaspora is responding to flood disaster and how Australians can help in relief effort

Nepali and Tibetan communities across Australia are organizing vigils and disaster relief initiatives as the death toll from severe flooding and landslides in the Nepal-Tibet region continues to rise.

The disaster, triggered by massive flash flooding along the Bhotekoshi and Trishuli river basins, has left at least 579 people dead and more than 1,900 missing, according to Nepali authorities. Australian Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong confirmed that 39 Australians remain missing in the affected areas. Wong announced a $5 million humanitarian support package from the Australian government and directed citizens wishing to donate to the Emergency Action Alliance website.

As families await news from the disaster zone, diaspora organizations are mobilizing to offer psychological and practical assistance. Community groups in Victoria and New South Wales are coordinating public vigils to coincide with a formal national day of mourning expected to be announced by the Nepali government.

Dr. Tilak Pokhrel, president of the Australian Nepalese Multicultural Centre, said the center has extended its opening hours so faith leaders can support grieving community members. Pokhrel emphasized that the community wants to gather to demonstrate solidarity and process the collective pain together.

In Sydney, the New South Wales branch of the Non-Resident Nepali Association plans to host a candlelight vigil on Saturday evening. General Secretary Chudamani Sapkota stated that the organization is actively trying to help Nepali Australians locate missing relatives, though severe network outages in Nepal have severely disrupted communications.

Personal accounts of loss are emerging across the diaspora. Melbourne student Rakshya Pandey shared that her family home and two grocery stores in the hard-hit Nuwakot district were destroyed. Her father was injured in the flood and is currently hospitalized in Kathmandu. In Canberra, resident Ashok Bahadur Dhungel has spent days attempting to reach his nephew, an employee at the Upper Trishuli hydropower plant, who has not been online since the flooding began. Dhungel added that while his mother survived in Nuwakot, widespread power outages have prevented direct phone contact.

Crowdfunding campaigns have also been initiated to assist long-term recovery. Chiran Tiwari, president of the Sydney-based Nepalese Welfare Society, confirmed the creation of a GoFundMe page to channel donations directly into the Nepali prime minister's natural disaster relief fund. Meanwhile, Tenzin Khangsar, co-chair of the Australia Tibet Council, expressed shock over the devastation and confirmed that Tibetan community members are organizing prayer events to honor those lost.