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CMAT Emergency Alert: Nepal Earthquake – Update #8

Many old folks at clinic today. Their faces etched with stories of times past and hard lives tempered by smiles.

“Many old folks at clinic today. Their faces etched with stories of times past and hard lives tempered by smiles.”

June 1, 2015 – Takukot, Nepal –  With special thanks for this contribution to Jill Allison, Logistician with Team 3!

“First day in the new clinic in Takukot. Very busy day. We had so many people we could not see them all in one day. Many homes are damaged and some have already been rebuilt. The school has suffered damage and local sub health post is completely unusable.

"Very busy day. We had so many people we could not see them all in one day."

“Very busy day. We had so many people we could not see them all in one day.”

The community health worker and auxililiary nurse midwife are seeing people in a tent behind what remains of the building. When they will have a new building is hard to say. Krishna and Nirmal are wonderful professionals who have helped us tremendously. Today is hot and steamy after a heavy rain last night. Everywhere we hear the sound of industry as the community replaces their infrastructure. This is a remote community where cell phones are less obvious and the impact of the outside world doesn’t reach.

 

"The community health worker and auxililiary nurse midwife are seeing people in a tent behind what remains of the building.... Krishna and Nirmal are wonderful professionals who have helped us tremendously."

“The community health worker and auxililiary nurse midwife are seeing people in a tent behind what remains of the building…. Krishna and Nirmal are wonderful professionals who have helped us tremendously.”

 

Many old folks at clinic today. Their faces etched with stories of times past and hard lives tempered by smiles. With government action, the local politicians work with local military to develop strategies to assess and address the needs. Tomorrow is another day.”

CMAT Emergency Alert: Nepal Earthquake – Update #7

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CMAT Team Two gathers in front of the field clinic in Baluwa, Nepal. (With local translators and driver)

May 30, 2015 – Takukot, Nepal –  With special thanks for this contribution to Jill Allison, Logistician with Team 3!

Dr. Tonia Temperley-Berg getting her heart checked, just to make sure it hasn't completely melted yet.

Dr. Tonia Temperley-Berg getting her heart checked, just to make sure it hasn’t completely melted yet.

 

“Long journey from Kathmandu to Takukot in Gorkha district. We drove for ten hours on roads that grew ever narrower, on steeper cliffs and higher up the mountainside. We passed through villages where nearly every house was a pile a rubble. We passed houses with cracks and sagging rooflines and missing backsides. We passed trees laden with flowers in front of scarred walls and crumbling porches.

 

And everywhere the Nepali faces are aglow with smiles . Everywhere people are rebuilding with remains of old house and stones and brick. Back breaking labour and beautiful dispositions as children shouted “Namaste!!” We came upon an impromptu market in the middle of the road as people were bargaining for sheets of corrugated metal roofing recently delivered. Eventually our driver conceded defeat and would go no further. We began an hour long walk uphill with our tents in our packs as dusk approached.

 

Eventually our driver conceded defeat and would go no further. We began an hour long walk uphill with our tents in our packs as dusk approached. People with their metallic burdens destined for new rooftops laughed and joked as they made their way alongside us on the road.

“Eventually our driver conceded defeat and would go no further. We began an hour long walk uphill with our tents in our packs as dusk approached. People with their metallic burdens destined for new rooftops laughed and joked as they made their way alongside us on the road.”

People with their metallic burdens destined for new rooftops laughed and joked as they made their way alongside us on the road. Rain threatened and thunder rolled. We arrived in the dark and made camp hastily, welcomed by the second CMAT team. After a wonderful meal of dal baht we have settled in to our little camp community. We are looking forward to the coming days. There is no sound like the thunder in the Gorkha hills.”

Paramedic Brian Taylor encouraging a young guy to take a deep breath!

Paramedic Brian Taylor encouraging a young guy to take a deep breath!


CMAT Emergency Alert: Nepal Earthquake – Update #6

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May 27, 2015 – Baluwa, Nepal

CMAT members meet with women and children of the Baluwa region in Nepal

CMAT members meet with women and children of the Baluwa region in Nepal

Media Sources along with CMAT logistics resources have all reported that a river in northwestern Nepal has been blocked by a landslide, causing the formation of an artifical lake approximately 2 km long.  Villages downstream are being evacuated, in case the landslide gives way.  CMAT can confirm that Team 2 is working in a village which is several hundred kilometres to the east of this site, and remains safe.

Team 2 has been busy treating basic primary care issues in Baluwa and trekking to surrounding villages to follow up on some more serious cases, but the need there is quickly returning to pre-earthquake levels.  The Health Cluster in Gorkha this week has also indicated that a particular neighbouring region was seeing a small surge of patients, and so CMAT sent a small strike team to this region to meet with the District Health representative.  Pending confirmation, CMAT will be transitioning to this new area to assist in the surge capacity.

CMAT Medical team 3 deployed earlier today to Nepal from Vancouver and Toronto. Team 3 team members include:

CMAT Nurses conduct a well-baby check up in Baluwa, Nepal.

CMAT Medical Volunteers conduct a well-baby check up in Baluwa, Nepal.

 

  • Dr. James Lee, MD and Team Leader; Edmonton, AB
  • Jill Allison, Logistics; St. John’s, NL 
  • Katie Dunham, RN; London, ON
  • Janna Hotson, RPN; Deep River, ON
  • Marie-Eve Pelchat, RN; Edmonton, AB
  • Dr. Rubert Kruhlak, MD; Edmonton, AB
  • Tracey Pugh, RN; Calgary, AB
  • Rebecca Morante, RN; Okotoks, AB
  • Dasha Johnston, RN; Edmonton, AB
  • Scott Haig, Paramedic, Vancouver, BC.

 

CMAT Team members have been trekking to high mountain villages, and through rice fields to deliver health care to patients who would otherwise go without.

CMAT Team members have been trekking to high mountain villages, and through rice fields to deliver health care to patients who would otherwise go without.

CMAT would like to extend our sincerest and most heartfelt thanks to all our donors and corporate/ organizational sponsors for helping make this deployment such a success.

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CMAT Emergency Alert: Nepal Earthquake – Update #5

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CMAT Team members meet some of the local women and children.

May 20, 2015 – Canadian Medical Assistance Teams’ second team of medical volunteers recently arrived to begin their rotation in Baluwa, Nepal, relieving outgoing team 1 members returning to Canada.

CMAT has been working in the earthquake-affected region for just over 3 weeks now. Monsoon season is rapidly arriving, and the team is seeing more and more rain throughout the day.   These rains affect not only the work the team is doing, but also accessibility to the remote region.   Volunteers continue to trek up steep hillsides to villages, in order to follow up on patients needing medical care.

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CMAT Team 2 goes over the day’s plans in Baluwa, Nepal

CMAT’s Team 2 members include:

  • Dr. Mark Hyslop (ret.), Team Leader from Kamloops, BC
  • Francois Auclair, Paramedic from Montreal, QC
  • Dr. Tonia Timperley-Berg, MD from Vancouver, BC
  • Dr. Hubert Chao, MD from Vancouver, BC
  • Jeanette Droogendyk, RN from Hamilton, ON
  • Margaret Hyslop, Mental Health from Kamloops, BC
  • Narinder Johal, RN from Delta, BC
  • Jennifer MacDonnell, RN from Courtenay, BC
  • Deborah Mossington, RN from Langley, BC
  • Jan Neuspiel, Logistics from Cumberland, BC
  • Mikiko Otsuki, RN from Surrey, BC
  • Brian Taylor, Paramedic from Stoney Plain, AB
CMAT Clinic in the Baluwa Valley, approximately 8 hours Northwest of Kathmandu, beyong Gorkha.

CMAT Clinic in the Baluwa Valley, approximately 8 hours Northwest of Kathmandu, beyong Gorkha.

CMAT Emergency Alert – Earthquake in Nepal Update #4

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Aftershocks continue to rock the area, including a 7.4 magnitude tremor which shook our team members this morning. Everyone is safe and accounted for.

Aftershocks continue to rock the area, including a 7.4 magnitude tremor which shook our team members this morning. Everyone is safe and accounted for.

May 12, 2015 – Baluwa, Nepal  –  CMAT Team 1 was sound asleep when another major quake measuring 7.4 on the Richter scale shook them awake at 3:00 this morning. All team members are safe and accounted for, and there have not been any reports of injuries or deaths in the immediate vicinity. Virtually no one in the local communities remains in their homes as they are either all demolished or in severe disrepair.  Families are sleeping under tarps or in the open. 

Several teams have arrived into the area to help with the rebuilding process, and Nepali soldiers were reconstructing the school building adjacent to CMAT’s camp.

Nepali soldiers have arrived in Baluwa to help reconstruct the school adjacent to where CMAT team members are camping.

Nepali soldiers have arrived in Baluwa to help reconstruct the school adjacent to where CMAT team members are camping.

CMAT medical teams continue to see dozens of patients each day,  and on one of the mobile medical clinics conducted in a high mountain village,  team members intervened to help save the life of a small child who had been suffering acute diahrrea.  After stabilizing the child and providing hydration, a helicopter was brought in to medi-evac the child to a centre which could provide a higher level of care.

CMAT Team members have been trekking to remote mountaintop villages to assess and treat patients who would otherwise not receive medical attention.

CMAT Team members have been trekking to remote mountaintop villages running mobile clinics to assess and treat patients who would otherwise not receive medical attention.

 

CMAT Medical team 2 is preparing to deploy to Nepal this coming weekend, and CMAT continues to rely on its generous donors for support.  Donations can be made at at CanadaHelps,  and any donations made by May 25th will be eligible to be matched by the Canadian government.

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