I wanted to reach out with an update regarding the terrible news coming out of Nepal. As many of you likely already know, areas of central Nepal were hit by devastating flash floods yesterday.
We are remaining in close contact with our colleagues at Karkhana Samuha, our local partners in planning the upcoming Gathering in Kathmandu - our primary concern is for them, their loved ones, and their communities.
Based on the information currently available to us, we do not expect these events to affect plans for the Gathering. We will continue to follow the situation closely and share any relevant updates as they come our way. In the meantime, we encourage everyone interested to follow updates from the Nepal Red Cross Society. Those who are able might also consider a donation to a relief fund established by the Prime Minister.
Thank you for your concern about our friends in Nepal. I will continue to share updates relevant to the Gathering here, via Instagram, and via BlueSky. As always, you are welcome to contact me directly as well (jamaica@opensciencehardware.org).
Dear Jamaica, thanks for your response to my previous email about the floods. It seems that the gathering will take place but I am still very concerned whether i should come. It feels wrong to me so I was hoping others might share their thoughts and why they decide to attend (or not) ?
Could you clarify if your concern is that such an incidence may happen again, or if your presence will be a form of burden to the Nepali people?
Towards the latter, as an indication I can point you to the website of “Lumbini Development Trust”. The first banner on the poster is a letter from the authority stating “Nepal… is safe to visit” and “we warmly welcome pilgrims and visitors to Lumbini”. If the banner is no longer visible by the time you read this, I’m attaching a screenshot.
I should caveat by saying that the area itself is quite far from the affected region, even if downstream the same river system. But ground data from my planned host in Kathmandu also suggest the city is safe, and only roads towards the northwest (like Pokhara) are affected.
Thank you for being so thoughtful about this. We have been in close contact with our partners in Kathmandu, who have assured us that our visit would be welcome. Kathmandu itself was not directly affected by the floods. While it is home to the country’s largest airport and thus functioning as the first point of arrival for many aid workers, our partners at Karkhana Samuha have confirmed that the city has ample capacity.
In additional to available capacity and our local partners’ interest in moving forward as planned, it may also be helpful to know that the large majority of those registered to attend the Gathering are local to the area. The number of people traveling to the region is relatively small by comparison. The Gathering is therefore shaping up to be an event that is both welcome and positively anticipated by those in the area.
Many thanks again for your thoughtfulness,
Jamaica
