Texas Mt. Everest Avalanche Survivor Back Home From Nepal
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NORTH TEXAS (CBSDFW.COM) - 22-year-old Texas A&M grad Danielle Banks, who was in Nepal during last week's massive and deadly earthquake, is finally back home.
CBS 11's Brian New was there for her homecoming this afternoon at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport; her mother was ecstatic:
— Brian New (@BrianNewCBS) May 2, 2015
Smiles and sighs of relief:
— Brian New (@BrianNewCBS) May 2, 2015
The day before the 7.8 magnitude quake hit, the young lady was all smiles as she made her way up Mount Everest. The mood changed quickly. Banks told CBS 11 about her experience, "There was no way off the mountain. Landslides and rock slides had completely destroyed the trail."
Banks sent a quick message to her mother in North Texas. Her mom said, "She sent me a text and said, 'Oh my God - I just experienced an avalanche.' And that was the last word I heard from her. Then I turned on the news and my heart just sunk."
Banks was on the mountain and very concerned. "[I was] really worried about my mother. I knew I was okay, but I knew my Mom was going to think I'm dead."
Survival still meant a two-day hike down the mountain. Banks explained that devastation was everywhere and aftershocks were a regular occurrence, "You could just hear people screaming and running around. So, we looked at each other and followed suit... everyone just ran for open area."
Still, Banks believes she was safer on the mountain than in Katmandu. "There's way less weak infrastructure to come tumbling down. Some people have pretty horrific stories of running from collapsing buildings, because it shook with such force that it just brought the entire building down with a single snap."
Banks is advising some of the well-intentioned volunteers to stay home. "If you're not trained or skilled in a skill that's needed here, medical disaster relief, your skills aren't needed here, [you will be] just an extra body in the way."
Banks will celebrate her 23rd birthday on May 5th.
You can watch the CBS 11 exclusive with Banks here:
Volunteers are also still collecting donations for the survivors at the Nepali Cultural Center, located at 2016 W. Grauwyler Road, Irving, Texas 75061.
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