Our temple there is housing more than 500 people at the moment. Other parts of Ahmedabad have suffered similarly, pushing up the total to something like 100 high rises destroyed. Most buildings have suffered structural damage and are not safe to live in. Water pipelines and gutter lines have been damaged and so sanitation will soon be a very real problem. There has been a 48 hour no go warning in which residents have been asked not to enter any buildings in case there are other tremors and shock waves.
People are out in the streets with no shelter, no food and other basic needs.
The damage and loss of life cannot be described in words. His Divine Holiness Pramukh Swami Maharaj, who met with the former President, Bill Clinton, in Miami last summer, was in the village of Bochasan at the time the earthquake struck. Pramukh Swami Maharaj immediately after the quake offered prayers for those in need and ordered that all BAPS organs and volunteer forces be mobilized to cope with the situation and provide help to those effected. BAPS Ahmedabad is coordinating relief in other cities hard hit, including Surat and Bhuj. Large areas of Bhuj have been leveled and there is an almost total communications break down.