When Bhuwan Pyakurel first opened his phone to images of flooding on the Nepal-Tibet border this week, he wasn't sure what was real.
"AI can make all kinds of things," he said. "Immediately (I) thought that's so devastating, so shocking, and it could be AI."
After checking the news, he leapt into action.
Pyakurel is a city council member in Reynoldsburg, a community just east of Columbus with a large Bhutanese population.
He's working with local leaders to see how they can support relief efforts and said he plans to raise donations.
Across the state, members of Ohio's Bhutanese community are finding ways to help following the devastation. At the same time, many are affected by the news themselves and still waiting to reach friends or family.
The Associated Press reported Friday afternoon that the death toll was nearing 600 with nearly 2,500 more missing.
Pyakurel said one friend learned his former school was swept away in the floodwaters.
Asian Services in Action, Inc., an organization that supports immigrant communities in Northeast Ohio, is working quickly to provide people with the support they need.
"It's very sobering to see your people suffer so catastrophically," said spokesperson Anna Chen. "There is a mourning, whether or not there is personal impact."
ASIA Inc. plans to facilitate community conversations about the catastrophic flooding in addition to the behavioral health resources it already provides.
Rajendra Thakurathi is a Nepali filmmaker who produced the 2025 movie "The World's Happiest Man" about the Bhutanese American community which was set and filmed in Akron. He called the reports of the flood devastating.
Thakurathi said he worries about Nepal's future as climate change continues to magnify flood risks.
"It's always in the back of my mind ... All over the world we see rising temperatures, more severe weather," he said. "We have to find a long-term solution for this because it's going to be more and more intense in the decades to come."
