A Villages couple is in Nepal, witnessing the devastation in the wake of an earthquake that has claimed 2,000 lives.
“We do not know what to expect over the next few days,” said Kelley Kaufman of the Village of Caroline.
She and Ted Godlin were in Katmandu visiting her son, Matthew Simmons, a stay-at-home Dad whose wife, Miku Watanabe, works for UNICEF. The couple has a 3-year-old son, Taisei Simmons.
The group had gone to a restaurant for brunch on the day the 7.9 quake struck. After brunch, they went shopping and strolling, enjoying the mild weather.
“Four of us were in the car preparing to leave the parking lot to return to our hotel for a celebration of King’s Day (a Dutch holiday) around the hotel pool area. Matt was standing outside of his car fastening Taisei into his kid’s seat before driving away,” Kaufman said in an email to Villages-News.com
“Suddenly the quake began – shook the vehicle but Matt was outside in the lot. The security guards of the castle where the restaurants and shops were, ran inside – away from us,” she said.
Her son, screamed repeatedly “stay in the car” which they did.
Bricks from parking walls and buildings came falling on the roof of the car crashing in the roof to about 1 inch above Godlin’s head. Bricks smashed into the hood of the car, windshield and broke the wide windows. The car door frames became tangled, broken.
When it stopped, her grandson starting screaming and crying.
“The guards ran to help us evacuate what was left of Matt’s vehicle. Matt was undamaged but we were all filthy, dusty, shaken and scared,” she said.
They walked to the middle of the normally heavily traveled street – away from buildings expecting aftershocks.
“We waited, held Taisei who was still screaming. Many Nepalese people joined us. When it appeared safe, Matt and Ted returned to what was left of his car to remove personal items:Â handbags, gifts, cameras, child seat,” she said.
They walked a long distance, trying to make their way back to their hotel a few miles away.
“No taxi would pick us up. We think the drivers were driving to their home to check on their own families,” she said.
Her daughter-in-law flagged down a stranger and his driver. They had a large car.
“They offered to drive the five of us as far as they could in our direction. We all piled into this strangers car and off we went. After shocks forced the driver to stop the car and wait,” she said.
Eventually, they made it back to their hotel where they were able to have a hot meal. The electricity was on at the hotel and they had water.
After shocks continue to rock Nepal.
Three Americans were killed in the earthquake, according to the U.S. State Department.
Among them was a Google executive, Dan Fredinburg, who was killed when an avalanche hit base camp at Mt. Everest. Also killed at Mt. Everest was Marisa Eve Girawong, a medic with a Seattle-based mountaineering company.
Check back for more on this developing story.
