THE NEPAL EARTHQUAKE

OF APRIL 25,2015

Part 2: Happenings During the

First 24 Hours

Walter Hays

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

TECTONIC

DEFORMATION

EARTHQUAKE

TSUNAMI

GROUND

SHAKING

FAULT RUPTURE

FOUNDATION

FAILURE

SITE

AMPLIFICATION

LIQUEFACTION

LANDSLIDES

AFTERSHOCKS

SEICHE

DAMAGE/LOSS

DAMAGE/ LOSS

DAMAGE/ LOSS

DAMAGE/ LOSS

DAMAGE/ LOSS

DAMAGE/ LOSS

DAMAGE/ LOSS

DAMAGE/ LOSS

DAMAGE/ LOSS

DAMAGE/LOSS

INADEQUATE RESISTANCE TO

HORIZONTAL GROUND SHAKING

EARTHQUAKES

SOIL AMPLIFICATION

PERMANENT DISPLACEMENT

(SURFACE FAULTING & GROUND

FAILURE)

IRREGULARITIES IN ELEVATION

AND PLAN

FIRE FOLLOWING RUPTURE OF

UTILITIES

LACK OF DETAILING AND

CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS

INATTENTION TO NON-

STRUCTURAL ELEMENTS

CAUSES

OF

DAMAGE

GLOBAL

“DISASTER

LABORATORIES”

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

YOUR

COMMUNITY

DATA BASES

AND INFORMATION

HAZARDS: GROUND SHAKING

GROUND FAILURE

SURFACE FAULTING

TECTONIC DEFORMATION

TSUNAMI RUN UP

AFTERSHOCKS

•MONITORING

•HAZARD MAPS

•INVENTORY

•VULNERABILITY

•LOCATION

RISK

ACCEPTABLE RISK

UNACCEPTABLE RISK

BOOKS OF

KNOWLEDGE

•PREPAREDNESS

•PROTECTION

•EM RESPONSE

•RECOSTRUCTION AND

RECOVERY

EARTHQUAKE DISASTER

RESILIENCE

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