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
© Copyright 2024