Nepal Earthquake 2015

Disaster ManagementHoliday Homework

Submitted by

Anurag DashX-C

Roll No. 8

Nepal Earthquake2015

• By: Anurag Dash

When and Where The earthquake occurred on 25 April 2015

at 11:56 a.m. at a depth of approximately 15 km (9.3 mi) (which is considered shallow and damaging), with its epicentre approximately 34 km (21 mi) east-southeast of Lamjung, Nepal, lasting approximately twenty seconds.

The second earthquake was somewhat less powerful at 6.6 Mw. It occurred 65 km (40 mi) east of Kathmandu and its seismic focus lay at a depth of 10 km (6.2 mi) below the earth's surface. Over thirty-five aftershocks of magnitude 4.5 Mw or greater occurred in the day following the initial earthquake, including the one of magnitude 6.6 Mw

Intensity • Tremors were felt in the neighbouring Indian states of

Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Assam, West Bengal, Sikkim, Jharkhand, Uttarakhand in the Indian capital region around New Delhi and as far south as. Many buildings were brought down in Bihar. Karnataka

• Minor cracks in the walls of houses were reported in Odisha. Minor quakes were registered as far as Kochi in the southern state of Kerala.

• The intensity in Patna was Moderate. The intensity was Light in Dhaka, Bangladesh. The earthquake was also experienced across south-western China, ranging from the Tibet Autonomous Region to Chengdu, which is 1,900 km (1,200 mi) away from the epicentre.

• Tremors were also felt in Pakistan and Bhutan

Epicenter & affected areas

Aftermath (Nepal)• The earthquake killed more than 8600 in

Nepal and injured more than twice as many. The rural death toll may have been lower than it would have been as the villagers were outdoors, working when the quake hit. As of 15 May, 6,271 people, including 1,700 from the 12 May aftershock, were still receiving treatment for their injuries. More than 450,000 people were displaced.

Aftermath (Other Areas)• India• A total of 78 deaths were reported in India - 58 in

Bihar, 16 in Uttar Pradesh, 3 in West Bengal and 1 in Rajasthan.

• China• 25 dead and 4 missing, all from the Tibet

Autonomous Region.• Bangladesh• 4 dead.

Other damages & effects• Thousands of houses were destroyed across many districts of

the country, with entire villages flattened, especially those near the epicentre. The Tribhuvan International Airport serving Kathmandu was closed immediately after the quake, but was re-opened later in the day for relief operations and, later, for some commercial flights.

• Nepal, with a total Gross Domestic Product of USD$19.921 billion (according to a 2012 estimate), is one of Asia's poorest countries, and has little ability to fund a major reconstruction effort on its own. Even before the quake, the Asian Development Bank estimated that it would need to spend about four times more than it currently does annually on infrastructure through to 2020 to attract investment.

Destruction

Rescue & Relief • About 90 percent of soldiers from the Nepalese Army were

sent to the stricken areas in the aftermath of the earthquake under Operation Sankat Mochan, with volunteers mobilized from other parts of the country.

• As of 1 May 2015, international aid agencies like Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders) and the Red Cross were able to start medically evacuating the critically wounded by helicopter from outlying areas, initially cut-off from the capital city, Kathmandu, and treating others in mobile and makeshift facilities. There was concern about epidemics due to the shortage of clean water, the makeshift nature of living conditions and the lack of toilets

rescue

Earthquake Safety Tips to Follow

Safety Measures During an Earthquake

• Stay away from windows and furniture that could potentially fall over.

• Take cover in a safe place in your house. Get under a sturdy table or desk to avoid being hit by anything. If you can't take safe cover, protect your head and neck with your arms.

• Do not try and go outside until after the shaking stops. If you are already indoors, you are safer taking cover inside than attempting to leave your house during an earthquake you could be hit by falling debris as you're trying to get out.

Safety MeasuresAfter an Earthquake

• Be prepared for aftershocks. Earthquakes are often followed by aftershocks additional quakes that follow the main event.

• Check your gas lines and make sure there are no leaks. Do not use an open flame in your house until you are sure it is safe.

• Check for damaged electrical wiring. Shut off the power if you see damaged wiring in your house.

• Keep your shoes on. You may have broken glass or spilled chemicals on the floor of your house as a result of the earthquake.

• Document the damage. If your insurance policy covers earthquake damage, make sure you take photos or video of the damage to use in the claim process.

Mitigation Strategies The first step in mitigating against an earthquake is to prioritize what youwish to protect. It is recommend that you first look at critical facilities, sincethese facilities house the first responders, this will be from were the responseand recovery is coordinated, or be from were medical attention or shelter isprovided.

The second priority should include the lifelines for yourcommunity. This is the critical infrastructure that provides electricity, water,and heat to your community. If these utilities are forced to shut down, yourcommunity may have to provide shelter to many more individuals.

The third priority should be commercial and industrial buildings or large apartment orcondominium buildings. Due to the types of construction, these are the typesof structures that can be the most severely impact by an earthquake.

The final priority should by standard single-family residential structures.Usually, because of their light-weight construction, single-family structuressuffer the least damage. However, they may still suffer enough damage torequire the community to provide temporary housing.

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