As the death toll rises after a devastating earthquake in Nepal, so too does the urgency to bring aid in and move Canadians stuck in Nepal out. Today, the Canadian Armed Forces announced that a C-17 will arrive tomorrow to begin the evacuation.  For those with loved ones missing, the help can’t come soon enough.

Ottawa's Sarah Brandt searches her brother's Facebook account, hoping he will see the message she posted the day of the earthquake.

‘He is in our prayers and we are all waiting for him to come home soon,’ says an emotional Brandt.

37-year-old Sai Jaya Raj Anthony was trekking through the Himalayas, probably in the Langtang Valley, when the quake hit.  Anthony is a Malaysian national, Sarah is Swedish, living in Ottawa. Her family is distraught they have had no word from him.

‘That’s what I want him to know,’ she says, ‘I love him and we will find him. We will get him home.’

22-year-old Jonathan Black was reported  missing by his family, too.  He's from Campbell's Bay. But early Wednesday morning he posted photos on his Facebook account, saying he is safe.  His uncle Chris Black says Jonathan wrote, "to everyone worried about me, I was not harmed by the earthquake in Nepal.  I was in the Annapurna region.  Everyone in that region was unharmed." 

It's believed about 460 Canadians were registered in Nepal.  Today, Foreign Affairs said eight consular staff have arrived in the country to help Canadians stranded in Nepal.

‘We continue to do everything to locate all Canadians and ensure they are safe and to make sure they are getting appropriate care,’ said Deirdre Kent, the head of the Nepal Earthquake Interdepartmental Task Force with the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development.’

 The C-17 that Canada deployed Sunday to send humanitarian aid to Nepal will now be used to bring Canadians home.

‘We are in contact with one hundred people who will require assistance to depart and we will contact them to give them more details about the airlift tomorrow,’ explained Robin Dubeau, the Director General Emergency Management Bureau.

Justin Piché  is hoping his sister-in-law, Faye Kennedy will be on that plane. She was airlifted out of the Langtang Valley with an injury.  Piché says she is worried about the friends she left behind, including, he says, Ottawa resident Sam Caldbick and Sudbury resident Cody Walter.

‘I hope the CF-17 will be able to wait for Faye and other Canadians in Kathmandu now,’ Piché said.

The Canadian Red Cross is mobilizing its field hospital that will bring emergency medical relief.

‘The hospital can cover the needs of up to 50 thousand people and offers out-patient care, surgical capacity and comprehensive medical services,’ explained  Conrad Sauvé, the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Canadian Red Cross.

The group will be leaving tonight for Kathmandu. And CTV Ottawa had word early this morning from Leanne Cusack that most of the members of her charity group managed to find their own flight out.  They were at the airport early this morning, on a flight headed for home via Qatar and Frankfurt.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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