Minnesota man survives Nepal earthquake, dodges Everest avalanche

Perhaps it was a mother's special sense that awoke Lidia Grabow early.

"I woke up 5:30 Saturday morning, and I couldn't go back to sleep," Grabow said. "So I just decided to hop on the computer, and there was a message from Andrew saying ‘I'm fine, earthquake in Nepal.'"

Before Thursday's earthquake, Andrew Grabow snapped a photo from base camp on Mount Everest. The adventurer had hiked just to see the camp and left after a couple hours. A day and a half later, an earthquake-triggered avalanche roared through the camp. Andrew was back in Kathmandu when the magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck, killing more than 4,000 people, including at least 18 people on Everest.

Unlike the poorly-constructed buildings that turned into mounds of rubble, Grabow was in a safer, newer building. He's now staying at a hospital. Grabow's parents are looking forward to seeing their son in person when he returns in a week. In the meantime, he's helping the best he can, including making meals for the injured, and tells us Nepal could use some help from back home.

The Association of Nepalis in Minnesota has set up a link on their website for donations that will be sent to the Red Cross and other relief efforts to help the victims. For more information, or to donate, go to http://anmn.org