The news of severe floods in Nepal and Tibet sparked immediate action among Nepali leaders in Chicago. A virtual emergency meeting took place on Wednesday night to discuss fundraising initiatives for disaster relief.
The meeting utilized Facebook Messenger, gathering leaders who have been instrumental in establishing nonprofits, eateries, and various businesses within Chicago and its neighborhoods. On August 15, the first Nepali street festival highlighted Nepal’s rich art, music, and cuisine in Edgewater. These leaders are now leveraging their community’s strength to coordinate a response to the disaster.
Shriniwas Kabra, Vice President at the Nepali American Center, mentioned that attendees came from different organizations with varied objectives. However, they united in deciding to direct their fundraising efforts to Nepali government disaster accounts. They planned both traditional and digital fundraising activities with a goal to eventually collect material donations too.
Kabra noted, “Everyone agreed that we need to work together and help in any way possible.”
This week, catastrophic flash floods in Nepal and China claimed the lives of nearly 600 individuals, leaving around 2,500 people missing, according to current reports from governments and rescue teams.
On the Nepal-China border, rescuers pulled people from mud-coated ruins while helicopters transported stranded individuals to safety. Army personnel aided in family rescue operations in Nepal’s Nuwakot district on August 28, 2026.
Rescue efforts included a team rappelling into heavily damaged areas on the Chinese side of the border. Concerns remained high over a newly formed Himalayan lake, created after a glacier collapse, which experts warned could overflow.
Videos displayed the floodwaters crashing into buildings, engulfing people trying to flee.
The Nepali and Tibetan communities in Chicago quickly mobilized to contribute necessary support. Kabra, 42, recalled waking to a flood video sent by a Nepalese friend. Initially, he mistook it for fiction or computer-generated imagery. However, the reality soon set in. Friends and families contacted him, revealing widespread devastation beyond Nepal’s borders.
Kabra commented, “Major highways are unusable, requiring full dedication from police and armies, stressing the economic situation.”
He plans to allocate the sales from his flower shop, Emotional Bonding, located at 8000 W Oakton St., Niles, towards relief efforts during the week of September 6. Kabra, who is also associated with The Clove Indian and Nepali Cuisine in Glenview, announced similar promotions where restaurant patrons can donate for flood aid directly.
Photographs of flood victims were displayed outside a Kathmandu hospital to aid relatives in identification on August 28, 2026.
The emergency meeting led to several groups initiating a GoFundMe campaign. By Friday night, the fund raised about $600. Rajan Shahi, President of Nepalese Aid based in Chicago, reported involvement in this initiative, which supplements donations via the Nepal Prime Minister’s Disaster Relief Fund.
Thursday evening, the Tibetan Alliance of Chicago held a vigil in Evanston. Community members gathered in prayer as Norbu Samphell conducted the service, emphasizing Buddhist principles urging happiness for all sentient beings.
Samphell remarked, “Even from afar, we feel the need to pray for minimizing their sufferings.”
Earlier this month, the Nepali street festival facilitated cultural exchanges between nonprofit representatives and Chicagoans, with Shahi suggesting annual continuance.
He concluded, “Nepalese people exhibit resilience; united, we will persevere, support each other, and rise again.”
The Associated Press collaborated in this report.