When a catastrophic natural disaster strikes, the most agonizing experience for a family is the silence that follows. For two days, Debbie and Frank Severino experienced that horror when their 26-year-old daughter, Cara, vanished during historic flash floods in Nepal.
On August 26, a massive glacial collapse in the Himalayas sent a wall of water surging along the Nepal-China border. According to Fox Weather, the U.S. Geological Survey said “the shaking caused by the landslide was equal to a magnitude 5.2 earthquake.”
Cara was trekking through the Langtang Valley when the disaster hit. She became stranded at Kyanjin Gompa, a high mountain village and Buddhist monastery. While she was not in the direct path of the worst floodwaters, regional communication networks completely failed. With her phone battery dead, her parents, back in Sydney, Australia, lost all contact.
For 48 hours, they watched the death toll climb on the news, entirely unable to reach their daughter.
Then, their phones lit up. Cara had managed to get a signal and left a voicemail.
The welcome update was quickly confirmed by Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong, who announced that consular officials had successfully traced Cara and transported her to safety. Wong told MamaMia that the rescue was a rare piece of positive news amid a disaster that has brought immense loss and uncertainty.
In a statement, the Severinos described hearing their daughter’s voice as a “miraculous gift.”
“We are beyond relieved and so elated to have Cara safe and well, and we can’t wait to hold her in our loving arms,” her parents said.
They credited the extraordinary efforts of her Nepalese hiking crew, specifically thanking guides for staying by her side and keeping her safe on the trail.
In a statement, Cara said she felt “blessed” and “grateful for the crew we formed on that first day when we entered the national park on the tractor.” She added, “Sudha, Lucas, Samir and Saugat. It’s thanks to these amazing people I got out safely. I feel for the families of those still missing. I know how much my family and friends went through.”
While the Severino family celebrates a miraculous reunion, the broader humanitarian crisis is only growing. According to CNN, the death toll from the floods has surpassed 1,000, with more than 4,400 people still unaccounted for across Nepal and China. Rescue crews are desperately searching for hundreds of workers trapped inside flooded hydropower tunnels. The Guardian reports that dozens of Australians are still among the missing.
Recognizing their good fortune, the Severinos are urging the public to support the recovery effort through the Emergency Action Alliance.
“The scale of this tragedy is staggering, and amidst our personal joy we continue to stand in prayer with the many families here in Australia, in Nepal and around the world who have lost loved ones or are still waiting to hear from them,” the Severinos said. “We know that the waiting is horrendous.”
