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Nepali, Tibetan New Yorkers grieve the missing and dead in epic flooding
By
Arya Sundaram
Published Aug 28, 2026
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Daniel Ceng/Anadolu via Getty Images
By
Arya Sundaram
Published Aug 28, 2026
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Many Nepali and Tibetan New Yorkers are grieving, seeking information and awaiting word on missing loved ones following the epic flash floods that ravaged the Nepal-Tibet border.
“ There's been a numbness,” said Mamta Gurung Nyangmi, interim executive director of Adhikaar, a Queens-based advocacy group for Nepali-speaking immigrants. “People are still processing, and at the moment it's more about just speaking to each other, trying to understand what's going on, just trying to get information.”
The flooding, which officials have attributed to the collapse of a massive glacier on Wednesday, has claimed over nearly 600 lives and left nearly 2,000 people missing, according to Nepali officials, though tallies have varied across the region.
About 23,000 Nepalis and 15,000 Tibetans live in the New York City area, including many in the Queens neighborhoods of Jackson Heights, Woodside and Elmhurst, according to Census data.
At a staff meeting at Adhikaar, several employees shared that they were seeking information about missing family members and loved ones, Nyangmi said.
Narbada Chhetri, a former executive director for Adhikaar, said the tragedy is on everyone's minds.
”Even if they are physically safe here, emotionally they are worried and grieving,” Chhetri said. “Many are constantly calling home, checking on loved ones, and sending financial support.”
Chhetri said many Nepali residents who planned to spend their money to celebrate the Hindu holiday Teej this month instead are sending remittances to family members in Nepal.
Adhikaar is opening up its Queens space for community gatherings and wellness sessions, and developing a list of mental health counselors who offer services in Nepali, Nyangmi said. She attended a vigil on Thursday for the victims in Jackson Heights.
Sonam Topden, the president of the Tibetan Community Center of New York and New Jersey, based in Woodside, Queens, said his group has organized Buddhist prayers in honor of the flood victims, involving chanting mantras and reading Buddhist texts.
”Mostly it’s a dedication to free all those who are suffering right now,” Topden said.
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Nepali
Race And Justice Unit
queens
tibetan
Arya Sundaram
Arya is a reporter covering race and justice. Got a tip? Email: [email protected] or reach Arya on Signal at 512-650-8767.
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