Fresno State professor with ties to Nepal heartbroken over devastating border flooding

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- The deadly flooding along the Nepal-Tibet border is having a profound impact on people in Central California with connections to Nepal, including a Fresno State professor who has worked near the affected region.

The death toll from the flooding continues to rise, and thousands of people remain missing. Search-and-rescue crews are continuing efforts to find survivors buried beneath mud and debris after catastrophic flash flooding swept through parts of the border region.

Dr. Anil Shrestha, a professor in Fresno State's Department of Plant Science, moved to the United States from Nepal in 1991. Since 2008, he said he has returned to his home country at least every other year. The flooding occurred in an area he knows well through his volunteer work and agricultural experience.

"It's really heartbreaking and tragic to see the event and the dead bodies floating in the river, thousands of homes destroyed," Shrestha said.

The massive floodwaters washed away homes and crops and damaged hydroelectric power plants, leaving widespread destruction across the region.

"The livelihood of the people, like the whole infrastructure of the buildings, have been washed away. I think it will be a challenge for people to find out where exactly their land was and who owns the property," Shrestha said.

Shrestha has previously volunteered in Nepal, including in areas near the flood zone. Through his work in agriculture, he spent time working with and talking to the farmers in the area.

"Since it's a riverbelt, there's a lot of water there and me personally being involved in agriculture, I was able to work with farmers there on agriculture in that river belt," he said.

Both President Donald Trump and former President Barack Obama have recognized Shrestha for his volunteer work in Nepal.

The flooding comes more than a decade after a powerful earthquake struck Nepal in 2015, killing more than 3,700 people.

Despite the scale of the disaster, Shrestha expressed confidence in the resilience of the Nepalese people.

"I want to stay positive that the people will rebuild. While lives lost cannot be brought back, people there will build their lives back," he said.

As recovery efforts continue, the American Red Cross said it has not sent volunteers to the region. However, the organization said people trying to locate loved ones affected by the flooding can begin a search through its Restoring Family Links program.

For news updates, follow Ana Torrea on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.