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THE NEPAL EARTHQUAKE

OF APRIL 25,2015
Part 2: Happenings During the
First 24 Hours
UPDATED REPORT AS OF
SATURDAY NIGHT:
AT LEAST 1,400 PEOPLE DEAD;
MANY INJURED; MANY MAY BE
TRAPPED UNDER RUBBLE
NEPAL: COLLISION OF EURASIAN
AND INDO-AUSTRALIAN PLATES
NEPAL: A NATION OF 27.8
MILLION
LOCATION: LAMJUNG—80
km NW of Kathmandu (USGS)
KATHMANDU, THE
CAPITAL, DEVASTATED

The Kathmandu Valley is densely


populated with nearly 2.5 million people,
and the quality of building construction is
often poor.
KATHMANDU SKYLINE:
BEFORE THE QUAKE
TSUNAMI DAMAGE/ LOSS
FAULT RUPTURE

TECTONIC
DAMAGE/ LOSS
DAMAGE/LOSS DEFORMATION

FOUNDATION
DAMAGE/ LOSS
EARTHQUAKE FAILURE

SITE
DAMAGE/ LOSS
AMPLIFICATION

GROUND
LIQUEFACTION DAMAGE/ LOSS
SHAKING

LANDSLIDES DAMAGE/ LOSS


DAMAGE/LOSS

AFTERSHOCKS DAMAGE/ LOSS

SEICHE DAMAGE/ LOSS


CAUSES
OF
DAMAGE

INADEQUATE RESISTANCE TO
HORIZONTAL GROUND SHAKING

SOIL AMPLIFICATION

PERMANENT DISPLACEMENT
(SURFACE FAULTING & GROUND
FAILURE)

IRREGULARITIES IN ELEVATION
EARTHQUAKES AND PLAN

GLOBAL FIRE FOLLOWING RUPTURE OF


“DISASTER UTILITIES
LABORATORIES”
LACK OF DETAILING AND
CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS

INATTENTION TO NON-
STRUCTURAL ELEMENTS
SIZE, LOCATION, AND DEPTH
AFFECT DAMAGE
• The quake's hypocenter was only 11
kilometers (7 miles) --- The bigger,
shallower, and closer the quake is, the
more destructive it usually is.
• Witnesses said the trembling and
swaying of the earth went on for
several minutes.
AFTER THE EARTHQUAKE
CREDIT: ASSOCIATED
PRESS
These pictures are used only
for educational purposes with
zero financial benefit
DAMAGE (Credit: AP)
DAMAGED BUILDING
(Credit: AP)
DAMAGED BUILDING
(Credit: AP)
DAMAGED TEMPLE
(Credit: AP)
SURVIVORS OUTSIDE
TEMPLE (Credit: AP)
DAMAGED HOUSES
(Credit: AP)
COLLAPSED BUILDING
(Credit: AP)
TAXI BURIED IN DEBRIS
(Credit: AP)
BASANTAPUR DUBAR
SQUARE Credit: AP)
BASANTAPUR DUBAR
SQUARE Credit: AP)
BASANTAPUR DUBAR
SQUARE Credit: AP)
CLEARING DERBIS
(Credit: AP)
CLEARING DEBRIS
(Credit: AP)
DEVASTATION AT SURBURBAN
LALITPUR (Credit: AP)
DAMAGED ROAD: (Credit: AP)
DOWNED ELECTRICAL LINES:
(Credit: AP)
SAVING ANIMALS: (Credit: AP)
SIRVIVORS TRAPPED INSIDE:
(Credit: AP)
SEARCH AND RESCUE:
DAHARA TOWER: (Credit: AP)
SURVIVORS OUTSIDE MEDICARE
HOSPITAL (Credit: AP)
INJURED TREATED OUTSIDE
MEDICARE HOSPITAL (Credit: AP)
TRANSPORTING INJURED WO-
MAN TO LALITPUR: (Credit: AP)
TRANSPORTING INJURED MAN
TO LALITPUR: (Credit: AP)
SCHOOL USED AS EVACUATION
CENTER (Credit: AP)
AFTERSHOCKS FORCE PEOPLE
OUTSIDE FOR NIGHT (Credit: AP)
CONCERNED ABOUT AFTER-
SHOCKS IN INDIA (Credit: AP)
RELIEF SUPPLIES BEING LOAD-
ED IN NEW DEHLI (Credit: AP)
LESSON: THE KNOWLEDGE AND TIMING
OF ANTICIPATORY ACTIONS IS VITAL

• The people who know: 1) what to


expect (e.g., strong ground motion,
damage, collapses, trapped
survivors), 2) where and why they
will happen, and 3) what they
should (and should not) do to cope
with them will survive.
LESSON: TIMELY, REALISTIC
DISASTER SCENARIOS SAVE LIVES

• The people who have timely,


realistic, advance information that
facilitates reduction of
vulnerabilities, and hence the risks
associated with strong ground
shaking and ground failure will
survive.
LESSON: EMERGENCY RESPONSE
SAVES LIVES

• The “Uncontrollable and


Unthinkable” events will always
hinder the timing of emergency
response operations, especially the
search and rescue operations that
should be accomplished within “the
golden 48 hours.”
LESSON: EMERGENCY MEDICAL
PREPAREDNESS SAVES LIVES

• The local community’s capacity for


emergency health care (i,e., coping
with damaged hospitals and medical
facilities, lack of clean drinking
water, food, and medicine, and
high levels of morbidity and
mortality) is vital for survival.
LESSON: EARTHQUAKE ENGINEERED
BUILDINGS SAVE LIVES

• Buildings engineered to withstand


the risks from an earthquake’s
strong ground shaking and ground
failure that cause damage, collapse,
and loss of function, is vital for
protecting occupants and users
from death and injury.
LESSON: THE INTERNATIONAL
COMMUNITY ALWAYS PROVIDES AID

• The International Community


provides millions to billions of
dollars in relief to help “pick up the
pieces, ” but this strategy is not
enough by itself to ensure
earthquake disaster resilience.
FACT
MOST OF THE 200 + NATIONS
NEED EARTHQUAKE DISASTER
RESILIENCE POLICIES THAT ARE
BASED ON LESSONS LEARNED
FROM PAST EARTHQUAKE
DISASTER LABORATORIES
•MONITORING ACCEPTABLE RISK
•HAZARD MAPS RISK
•INVENTORY
UNACCEPTABLE RISK
•VULNERABILITY
•LOCATION

BOOKS OF
KNOWLEDGE
DATA BASES YOUR
AND INFORMATION
COMMUNITY

EARTHQUAKE DISASTER
RESILIENCE

HAZARDS:
•PREPAREDNESS
GROUND SHAKING •PROTECTION
GROUND FAILURE
SURFACE FAULTING •EM RESPONSE
TECTONIC DEFORMATION •RECOSTRUCTION AND
TSUNAMI RUN UP
AFTERSHOCKS RECOVERY
PILLARS OF EARTHQUAKE DISASTER
RESILIENCE

Preparedness
Protection: Adoption and Implementation of a
Modern Earthquake Engineering Building Code
and Lifeline Standards
Prevention: Land Use Planning and Base
Isolation
PILLARS OF EARTHQUAKE DISASTER
RESILIENCE (continued)

Monitoring
Realistic Earthquake Disaster Scenarios
Timely Emergency Response (including search
and Rescue and Emergency Medical Services)
Cost-Effective Recovery and Reconstruction
THE CHALLENGE:

CHANGING EXISTING POLICIES:


CREATE, ADJUST, AND REALIGN
PROGRAMS, PARTNERS AND PEOPLE UNTIL
YOU HAVE CREATED THE KINDS OF TURNING
POINTS NEEDED FOR MOVING TOWARDS
EARTHQUAKE DISASTER RESILIENCE
AN UNDER-UTILIZED GLOBAL
STRATEGY
To Create Turning Points for
Earthquake Disaster Resilience

 USING EDUCATIONAL SURGES CONTAINING


THE PAST AND PRESENT LESSONS TO FOSTER
AND ACCELERATE POLICY CHANGES
MOVING TOWARDS THE MUST-
HAPPEN GLOBAL STRATEGY
To Achieve Earthquake Disaster
Resilience
INTEGRATION OF SCIENTIFIC AND
TECHNICAL SOLUTIONS WITH POLITICAL
SOLUTIONS IN EVERY NATION FOR
REALISTIC POLICIES ON PREPAREDNESS,
PROTECTION, DISASTER SCENARIOS,
EMERGENCY RESPONSE,
RECONSTRUCTION, AND RECOVERY

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