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
FAULT RUPTURE
DAMAGE/LOSS
EARTHQUAKE
GROUND
SHAKING
DAMAGE/LOSS
TSUNAMI
DAMAGE/ LOSS
TECTONIC
DEFORMATION
DAMAGE/ LOSS
FOUNDATION
FAILURE
DAMAGE/ LOSS
SITE
AMPLIFICATION
DAMAGE/ LOSS
LIQUEFACTION
DAMAGE/ LOSS
LANDSLIDES
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)
EARTHQUAKES
GLOBAL
“DISASTER
LABORATORIES”
IRREGULARITIES IN ELEVATION
AND PLAN
FIRE FOLLOWING RUPTURE OF
UTILITIES
LACK OF DETAILING AND
CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS
INATTENTION TO
NONSTRUCTURAL 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 WOMAN 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 AFTERSHOCKS IN INDIA (Credit: AP)
RELIEF SUPPLIES BEING LOADED 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
•HAZARD MAPS
•INVENTORY
•VULNERABILITY
•LOCATION
DATA BASES
AND INFORMATION
ACCEPTABLE RISK
RISK
UNACCEPTABLE RISK
YOUR
BOOKS OF
KNOWLEDGE
COMMUNITY
EARTHQUAKE DISASTER
RESILIENCE
HAZARDS:
GROUND SHAKING
GROUND FAILURE
SURFACE FAULTING
TECTONIC DEFORMATION
TSUNAMI RUN UP
AFTERSHOCKS
•PREPAREDNESS
•PROTECTION
•EM RESPONSE
•RECOSTRUCTION AND
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 MUSTHAPPEN 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