The photos Johann Harnisch emailed home to Creston from Nepal in recent days offer a personal glimpse of what residents of Kathmandhu are experiencing in the aftermath of Saturday’s 7.8-magnitude earthquake.
Piles of brick rubble and teams of medical personnel in full emergency mode, working outdoors, paint a grim picture of a region best known for its proximity to Mount Everest.
Johann, 23 — one of nearly 400 Canadians in Nepal — flew from Canada to Nepal on March 31, part of a team of dentists, doctors and students to hold classes and clinics in a large city a 14-hour bus ride from Kathmandu.
“Hundreds of people flocked to receive medical attention,” Michelle Harnisch told the Advance in an email that included photos she and Johann’s father, Pastor Rudy Harnisch, have received since Sunday.
The group of volunteers was co-ordinated by ADRA (Adventist Development and Relief Agency), a Seventh-day Adventist international aid organization. As they went about their mission to provide routine medical care, Johann could hardly have imagined what he would soon face.
“Arriving back at Kathmandu last Thursday to see the rest of the team off, Johann and James (another volunteer) stayed with a local doctor and his wife, waiting to board their planes the following week,” Michelle wrote. “But the Saturday morning events changed everything.
“Close to noon on Saturday they experienced a violent shaking of the building they were in, similar, Johann said, to the shaking of the bus they rode in over the mountainous roads of Nepal.
“Running outside, they witnessed buildings crumbling and mountains giving way to clouds of dust. Racing back to the hospital, they wondered if the three-story structure would still be standing. Thankfully, it stood, and thankfully they were there with the doctor and many other willing hands to receive the dying and injured that poured in.
“Since the initial quake, many other aftershocks have terrified, injured and killed more people. Operating on the victims’ broken bones, pouring plaster casts, delivering babies and sheltering patients from the rain in their outdoor emergency room — among many other tasks — has kept the team very busy. They are thankful to be alive and to be of service to the Nepalese during this terrible crisis.”
Michelle said on Monday the first two days after the earthquake were agonizing as the Harnisch family awaited word that Johann was safe. Once he was able to re-establish communication, the young volunteer has sent back a steady stream of messages and photographs.
“We were going to go away for the weekend but changed our plans,” Michelle said.
Instead, they were soon immersed in following the news about a string of earthquakes that has now claimed more than 4,000 lives and left many thousands more in peril.
In a matter of weeks, Michelle and Rudy have witnessed their son complete a carpentry course at Cranbrook’s College of the Rockies, fly off to do volunteer work in one of the world’s most remote areas and take part in an international effort to save lives.
“The information and pictures we have received from Johann makes it very real,” she said.
The most recent information before the Advance went to press came from Rudy, who had just received word that Johann is staying two weeks longer — “at least” — to assist with relief operations on the ground.