Altona woman sends stories home of earthquake in Nepal

NicoleDawes, originally from Altona, Man., has sent news home that she and her husband are safe and sound after Nepal's 7.8 magnitude earthquake on Saturday.

• Shallow earthquakes pack more of a punch
• Rescuers struggle to reach Nepalese villages

NatashaLoewen, Dawes' sister,said she was terrified when her husband woke herwith news of the earthquake in Nepal, where Dawes has been living for three years.

"My heart was just pounding and I immediately ran to my iPad, just praying there would be some word from Nicole and sure enough, there was a text," Loewentold CBC'sUp to Speedon Tuesday.

Loewen calls it a "littlemiracle" that she has been able to communicate with her sister throughout the ordeal.

On the ground

Loewen said hersisterwas at home in their third-floor apartment when the earthquake started.Her husband, Matt, was atthe market selling milk.

"Nicole said it caught her completely off-guard and it came on very violently right from the moment that it started," Loewen said.

"It was so violent that she couldn't be upright. And to top it off, she's pregnant so that added to the difficulty, I suppose."

• Kathmandu was 'nightmare waiting to happen'

Now 28 weeks into her pregnancy, Dawes tried to crawl her way from her apartment to an open space where she would be safer,but the ground was moving with such vigour that it wasn't possible.

"So for about 30 to 45 seconds,she said she just hung onto the doorknob, basically screaming out to Jesus and thinking she was a goner. She did not think she was going to live through it," Loewen said.

Dawes's husband tried to callher 16 times before the call finally got through to her. They were both safe.

Matt took a long time to make it home toDawesashe stoppedto pullpeople from the rubble following the earthquake.

"I must say, knowing people there brings a bit more reality to the disaster,but I'm in total disbelief. I can't believe my brother-in-law was right there literally saving people," Loewen said.

Milkmandu

The couple has been in Nepalsince 2012 working at Kathmandu's Mercy Mission orphanage.

In order to support themselves, they also run a companycalledMilkmanduthat pasteurizes and delivers milk.Any extra revenue generated throughMilkmanduis given back to the orphanage.

The orphanage was housing80 children, ranging from infants to teenagers,when the earthquake devastated the country. Luckily, all of the children aresafe but they have been sleeping outside in what they're calling a "tarp city."

Moving forward

So far, Dawes and her husband have been living with friends in their one-storey house.

"Any time the aftershocks seemed to be a little more severe, they would grab their packs and run outside into the open area, so they had a few sleepless nights," Loewen said.

Loewen said her sister is now struggling to decide whether she should stay in Nepal or head back to the safety of Canada with her baby on the way.

"Their hearts are definitely in the place," Loewen said, explaining it would be difficult for the couple not to be in Nepal to help rebuild.