San Diego’s Nepalese community gathers in prayer as deadly flooding devastates region

More than 8,000 miles from Nepal, San Diego’s Nepalese community is finding a way to support loved ones facing devastating flooding, loss and uncertainty.

Dozens of people gathered at Shree Mandir Saturday morning for a Hindu prayer ritual called a puja, organized by the San Diego Nepalese Association.

For Arjan Hada, the disaster feels personal even though his family was not directly impacted by the flooding.

“My father, my mother, my brother, my brother’s wife, the kid, all of them are back in Nepal,” Hada said. “So a part of my soul is still back in Nepal.”

Hada said the flooding has created difficult conditions across the country, including disruptions to transportation, electricity and supply chains.

The prayer was a way for the community to come together and send support to those suffering in Nepal.

“We feel that this will bring peace to our country, peace to our people who are suffering, who is going through all this pain,” said Kanchan Neupane, president of the San Diego Nepalese Association. “So this puja is for the people, for our country, for everyone who is affected, for everyone, for their peace.”

The gathering also gave community members a chance to support one another as they waited for updates about family and friends.

“Just to get together and talk with each other, console each other, because it’s so fresh right now,” Sema Gurung said. “It’s been very overwhelming.”

Gurung said some of her friends are still dealing with the uncertainty of what happened to their loved ones and homes.

“One of my friends who has grown up in Trishuli, his childhood home may have got impacted and swept away,” she said. “There is another friend whose parents were actually gone to like Kailash Trek right now…. She has already accepted the fact that her parents are not going to come back.”

As rescue efforts continue, thousands remain missing in the region, leaving families thousands of miles away waiting for answers.

For the San Diego community, gathering together offered a way to feel closer to the people and places they worried about.

“If we throw a stone in water, you know, it creates ripples through this prayer,” Hada said. “We want to create positive ripples, hoping that that good vibes, you know, like reaches Nepal and it inspires people to help.”

The San Diego Nepalese Association is also collecting donations to send directly to people in Nepal who need help. They are also encouraging donations to the Prime Minister’s Disaster Relief Fund.

Want to donate? Follow this link.