Former New London resident in Nepal appeals to community for quake-aid support
A former New London resident, Michael Rosenkrantz, lives more than 186 miles from the epicenter of the massive and deadly earthquake, working as primary health administrator and community outreach specialist at the Phul Kumari Mahato Memorial Hospital in Karjanha, Siraha, Nepal.
In an email message sent Saturday, Rosenkrantz, the former executive director of the Alliance for Living, said he felt “a lot of shaking” from the quake. He is also well known in this area for his work with the Fiddleheads Food Cooperative and the New London farmers market, among other groups. He also worked as the assistant town manager for the Town of Groton.
“I was just outside of our hospital library when the quake hit and I knew that it was a quake from experiencing a number of quakes in California,” he wrote. “All the children in the library ran out and we went to a road in front of the library. It was difficult for me to stand given the magnitude. Patients from the hospital and staff came outside of the hospital, although the hospital is earthquake proof. “
He said two children in his village were hurt when a wall collapsed, but he hadn’t heard about any other damage there.
“My feeling is that this is a major setback for the country and will take many years to repair the damage,” he said. “The loss of life is devastating enough but the fact that many beautiful buildings were also destroyed and can never be replaced makes the situation even more difficult. Hopefully the government of Nepal will now really require all new buildings to be earthquake proof.”
On his Facebook page, he appealed to friends to donate to one of the groups helping with disaster relief, including UNICEF’s earthquake relief efforts, and posted a link, https://www.unicefusa.org/donate/nepal-earthquake-help-children-now/24226.
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