Bay Area residents return home after Nepal quake
SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- Some Bay Area people who were in Nepal during that deadly quake last Saturday returned home on Tuesday. It's been a very emotional experience for not only the travelers, but also their families. However, those feelings of uneasiness have turned into feelings of pure joy as the travelers return home.
READ MORE: How you can help Nepal quake victims
In the international terminal at San Francisco International Airport, Folsom resident Tarun Rao waits for his wife.
"I needed to call her like 20 to 25 times just to get that one call through," he said.
With a dozen red roses by his side, the Intel employee anxiously awaited the arrival of his wife who was taking part in an educational service project in Nepal when the quake hit.
"We get so used to the emails and the Internet and phones, so when everything goes down you get very panicked because you can't contact," he said.
PHOTOS: Inside the aftermath of the Nepal earthquake
As dozens of passengers walked through, ABC7 News caught up with Bay Area programmer Jonathan Khoo, who was traveling the country.
He was getting ready to place his order at a Kathmandu coffee shop, when all of a sudden the quake hit.
"It started really shaking," he said. "A lot of screaming, a lot of people running out, I hid under a table with the waiter."
VIDEO: Bay Area's Nepal Youth Foundation prepares to help quake victims
It's an experience that left the Fremont resident shaken to the core.
"A lot of us were just stunned," he said. "We were just staring up at the buildings wondering you know, was it safe? What was going on?"
After days of waiting for a flight, Khoo was able to make it out safely.
"It just seemed like emotionally, everything just started to hit me all at once," Khoo said.
VIDEO: Silicon Valley tech giants step up to help Nepal quake victims
Downstairs at baggage claim, Rao, reunited with his wife Ranjanee.
"I'm just happy she made it back safely, that's all I wanted," Rao said.
His wife's travel partner, Fair Oaks resident Kirk Hansen, said he's grateful for their return to American soil.
"It feels good to finally be home and hopefully be able to soon see my wife and my family," he said. "But it just feels good to be back at least."
Each of the travelers that ABC7 News spoke to say they are very tired, very exhausted, and all they wanted to do was go home and take a shower, knowing that that shower is a luxury compared to what the people of Nepal are going through.
Click here to find out how you can help the victims in Nepal, and click here for full coverage on the devastating quake.
