Bahamian in Nepal Recounts Deadly Flash Flood

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NEPAL –

Gernico Culmer – Bahamian Living In Nepal
“There was like a video with the Chinese immigration building that completely got wiped out, and being able to see all the people scramble for their lives, it really, it was hard to watch.”

Gernico Culmer is a Bahamian who lives with his wife and children in Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal.

He recalls the moment he learned through social media about a devastating flash flood along the Nepal-Tibet border, just three hours from where his family lives.

On August 26, a flash flood ravaged the area, leaving more than 1,100 people dead and more than 4,000 others reported missing.

Among those missing are more than 500 foreign nationals. The United Nations is describing the disaster as Nepal’s deadliest natural disaster since the devastating earthquake in April 2015.

News of the catastrophe has made international headlines, as rescue and recovery efforts continue.

Gernico Culmer – Bahamian Living In Nepal
“There were a few people who were, like, worried sick, and they were calling me, like, in the wee hours of the morning. Because we are in a different time zone, but as soon as I saw their messages, I really appreciated the fact that they reached out to me. And I let them know everything is alright. My wife and I are safe.”

Culmer says the government has limited volunteer activities to trained professionals, given the various dangers that still exist in the affected areas.

Experts have also expressed deep concern over the potential for more devastating flash floods in Nepal, warning that millions of people across the Himalayan region remain at significant risk.

One of the contributing factors is Nepal’s monsoon season, which brings heavy rainfall and increases the threat of flooding and landslides.

Gernico Culmer – Bahamian Living In Nepal
“To be honest, I’m worried.”

Culmer notes that the uncertainty of Mother Nature is a global concern.

He says as climate change appears to be contributing to extreme weather events, countries in the Caribbean must remain alert.

Gernico Culmer – Bahamian Living In Nepal
“We can see it all over the world, things that are happening now that, you know, we never worried about back then. Storms are getting more intense. We’ve seen, I’ve never seen anything like this, you know, where the ice cap is melting and resulted in a major flood like this.”

Denielle Miller – Reporter
“In a social media post, Nepali Prime Minister Balendra Shah has linked the disaster to climate change, saying: ‘The flood in the Bhote Koshi River in Rasuwa was not an ordinary flood. It was one of the region’s major disasters, triggered by an avalanche of snow and ice in the Himalayan region.’ He then stated, ‘It is now time for us to strongly raise with the international community the issue of the disasters we are experiencing as a result of climate change.’”