A Georgia woman on what her family described as the trip of a lifetime is now missing after historic floods in Nepal. Mary Sorensen, 60, of Canton, Georgia, was at an immigration office near the Nepal-China border when the disaster struck on August 26.
Sorensen sent her family a final text message expressing her love and gratitude shortly before the floodwaters inundated the area. She was scheduled to return home on the same day the historic flood swept through Nepal. Her family has been praying for a miracle since she was last heard from.
"Much love to everyone! And I'm so very grateful to have all of you as my family," Sorensen wrote in her last message, according to Channel 2. Her son, Riley Wildeman, described the emotional toll of learning about the devastating landslides and floods while teaching.
"We've prayed for a miracle the whole time. We've prayed for a miracle of her being saved, for her to be found," Wildeman told the outlet. He added that if anyone could survive such an ordeal, it would be his mother.
Sorensen was traveling with the Isha Sacred Walks travel group, and members of the group are also among the missing. The travel group has indicated that it is unlikely the travelers survived.
Devastating Floods and Landslides
The floods in Nepal have resulted in a catastrophic loss of life and widespread destruction. The death toll has surpassed 1,000, with approximately 4,000 people still being searched for by rescue teams. Entire communities have been swept away, leaving families homeless amidst heavy rains or seeking shelter in temporary facilities. Roads, bridges, and power plants have been destroyed, severely hampering rescue and aid efforts.
The disaster was triggered by a massive glacial collapse near the Nepal-China border. The U.S. Geological Survey described the event as an "extremely powerful 'glacial collapse and debris flow'" that sent a torrent of ice, water, debris, and rocks down the mountainside into the Lende Khola River. CCTV footage captured the terrifying moments as people fled from a wall of mud and water that obliterated buildings.
Ongoing Search and Recovery Efforts
With mortuaries overflowing, Nepal has begun burying some of the recovered bodies after taking DNA samples to allow for later identification. Among the missing are hundreds of foreigners, including tourists who were trekking in the mountains and pilgrims visiting sacred sites.
Rescue teams are working to reach survivors in areas where transportation routes have been cut off. The scale of the humanitarian need is immense, with damaged infrastructure making access to affected regions extremely challenging.
