On Oct. 8, land stretching from Afghanistan to Bangladesh was hit by a 7.6magnitude earthquake that pounded mainly Pakistan and also parts of India. Over 80,000 are dead, and the rebuilding process has been sluggish. Except for people out West, most Americans have never had to grapple with the unpredictable threat of an earthquake or at the least, worry about family members in earthquake-prone areas. But for the father of third-year College student Aditi Palli, a routine trip to India could not have occurred at a worse time.
As a gift to her dad, Aditi's mom decided to send her husband to India on vacation. Vinod Palli had just gotten time off from work and could think of no better way to relax than to go back to the place where he grew up to spend time with his friends and family.
"My dad and my mom share the same birthday, so as a present she bought him a ticket to India to go see his family," Aditi said.
They hail from a town called Trikuta Nagar, meaning "city of three gods," located in the northwestern portion of India.
"I've been there about five times," Aditi said. "The last time I remember was the most memorable. Two days before I got there, there was a terrorist attack. It was over Winter Break, and it was a shock to see all of the guards there."
Although terrorist attacks are not new to the area, lately there has been an upsurge and an increased effort to keep the region safe.
"It's heavily guarded, and they have to be for security purposes because it is a major area that terrorists attack," Aditi said. For me to see army officials with big guns at gas stations and movie theatres, it's like, 'Wow.'"
Even though the earthquake ravaged through Pakistan, western India felt its magnitude as well. Luckily for the town, not many buildings were destroyed. Only older structures were demolished, leaving intact many of the newer buildings. And when the earthquake hit, Vinod and his extended family were in their flat going about their routine schedule.
Vinod was "sitting underneath a window in our house and he was reading the newspaper and he started to feel the newspaper shake," Aditi said. "He said he felt really lightheaded and dizzy and he looked up to see what was going on and then he heard my cousin yell, 'Earthquake, earthquake.' He got up, and he could really feel the ground shaking, and he was saying it was shaking so hard that it was hard to walk. My dad's sister is like 15 to 20 years older than him, and she was having trouble getting off the couch."
Aditi said her father found the experience "extremely terrifying."
"It went through his mind, 'It's over. I'm done,'" she said.
Instinctively, one might think to run as fast as possible to get away from falling objects and rubble, but the strong vibrations of a 7.6 earthquake did not allow for a quick escape.
And as with any quake, aftershocks can be felt long after the initial moment of destruction and can still do significant damage to an area. In Trikuta Nagar, most of the tremors happened in the middle of the night.
"He said they lasted for about a minute and a half, but he didn't wake up from them," Aditi said. "My dad's a heavy sleeper."
Yet for other people in the town, the tremors were the most threatening. Because they occurred at night, people sleeping were susceptible to falling debris and practically anything else that could collapse over them. Because many people knew the tremors would continue, sleeping in a park proved to be the wisest decision to avoid injury. Even though Vinod never joined the hundreds of others in the main park, he felt secure in his home surrounded by his family.
Aditi said she knows her family will keep going back to Trikuta Nagar.
"That's home and regardless of what happens, I'll always continue to go back there," she said.
Read More
It’s okay not to be okay
By Mai Hukuoka | 3 days agoWhether talking to a friend, a loved one or a professional, it is so necessary, and human, to need more than you can provide for yourself.
Taking a break at Tangerines Kitchen
By Charley Thomas | 5 days agoWhat the restaurant somewhat lacks in ambiance, it compensates for in tasty dishes and prompt service.
Virginia Policy Lab — a hub for student-led policy action
By Katherine Haden | December 9, 2024Students propose their own projects and collaborate with other members to research their issues of interest, brainstorm solutions and write policy proposals.
