The people of Nepal are going through unbelievable suffering as they struggle to recover from Saturday’s magnitude-7.8 earthquake. At this writing, almost 4,000 people are known dead in Nepal, India and China, with more than 7,000 injured. Powerful aftershocks are still being felt throughout the area, making a terrible situation even worse.

Florida Atlantic University has a direct connection to Nepal through Dr. Mary Cameron of the Department of Anthropology. She has lived, taught and conducted research in Nepal, and she is president of the Association for Nepal and Himalayan Studies, the oldest and largest scholarly organization focused on the region. Additionally, 27 members of our current student body are Nepalese. Our hearts go out to them, to their families and to everyone affected by this disaster.

Many relief organizations are reaching out to help, among them the American Red Cross, which is working with the Nepal Red Cross and the global Red Cross network to coordinate support. For more news and to contribute to the relief effort, go Redcross.org.