A devastating EARTHQUAKE of 6.9 in Sikkim and parts of northern India last week has been followed by 50 further after-shocks of up to 3.9 and has caused terrible destruction to buildings, loss of life and injuries, and closed roads challenge rescue efforts. The death toll is now 130 people but many more bodies are trapped in the rubble of buildings.
The remoteness of much of this underdeveloped mountainous region and road closures from land slips has made it a very difficult task to get any help to the region and 9 villages are still completely cut off. With rescue teams facing difficulties to reach some far-flung quake-hit areas in Sikkim, hundreds of survivors are trekking out of their cut-off villages, crawling sometimes to negotiate dangerous stretches where landslides and heavy rain have loosened huge boulders which have come down the mountainsides. Entire areas are cut off because of landslides – and more often than not people are without clean water, adequate food supplies, medicine and telephone contact with the outside world. Sikkim’s hospitals have seldom been so full.
We, at Rigul Trust, have offered Rinpoche help with setting up an appeal for the earthquake in Sikkim. Rinpoche wishes this to be called the Sikkim Earthquake Relief Work Appeal.
Disaster Relief by Rigul Trust
In the last two years we have set up two emergency appeals, one for the survivors of the Yushu earthquake 2010 and one for the Ladakh flood disaster last year where we supported the relief work that Khenpo Rangdol, Principal of Kagyu College, Dehradun was in charge of. 100% of all donations went to these projects. We also helped fund emergency relief work in Yushu province of Tibet and now we have an ongoing sponsorship programme for 14 little children who were orphaned as a result of Yushu earthquake. We sent money for the buying and distribution of barley.
And in Ladakh we sent money for emergency relief and the reforestation of trees. Khenpo Rangdol went to Ladakh, oversaw the projects and distributed the money.
This is background information for you to know that all of what we do is overseen by Rinpoche, 100% of your donations gets to the targeted projects. We are extremely careful with whom we deal with and Rinpoche always has the last say.
To donate to the Sikkim Earthquake Relief Work Appeal
100% of all donations sent through this secure PayPal site will go to the Sikkim Earthquake Relief Work. PayPal accepts all currencies.
An email from Rinpoche this evening 23rd September from Kathmandu:
Dear Margaret,
Maybe this is the time to help. There are lots of destruction. Even Rumtek Shedra’s new building is badly cracked. There was one earthquake last night and one today afternoon and destroyed at least one building in Gangtok. Lots of schools are destroyed fully. Many monasteries are also badly damaged. We do not get any news from tv and radio any more. Rain is still pouring.
Ringu Tulku
For more news on the Sikkim Earthquake see:
http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/sikkim-quake-victims-building-collapses-heavy-rain/1/152491.html