Gorkha earthquake

• Geographical context


  - One of the poorest countires is Asia with a GDP of $19.6b billion n 2014

  - Kathandu has a popualtion of 1 million

  - Ten of thousands of tourist

  - Capital city had a high density of buildings

  - servere earthquake that would of affected Nepal has been long predicted by experts by using computer simulartions to calcualte the risk

  - However experts couldnt predict when the event happened and with increaing urban growth it meant that the population was at risk
• Cause


  - Focus was 15km

  - Epicentre was 80km northwest of Kathmandu

  - On a collisional plate boundary where the Indian plate was pushing into the Eurasian plate at 45mm a year

  - 11.56 on 25th April 2015

  - Indian plate shifted 3m to the south causing a 7.8 magnitude earthquake

  - Only a small part of the Thrust fault line was ruptured during the earthquake. This could mean that the western Nepal could be at risk of another major earthquake
• Impacts

  - Initial ground shaking triggered avalanches in the Himalayas

  - Avalanche was estimated to be 2-3km wide and destroyed villages such as Mundu

  - 18 people died on the camps of Everest

  - 90% of rural homes were destroyed

  - 300000 children lost their homes and community

  - 130000 homes destroyed

  - 329 aftershocks felt with a magnitude of above 4. A 7.3 magnitude earthquake felt on 12th May

  - Economic cost estimated to be at 35% of the Nepal GDP

  - Routes into valleys took days to pass so remote communities suffered

  - 9000 lives lost on 25th April and a further 218 on 12th May

  - Nepals culture was damaged by the earthquake

  - Burbar square in Kathmandu was a UNSECO world heritage site and was home to payodas

  - Dharahara tower collapsed and killed 180 people

  - They city was built in 12th century and was a big cultural loss
• Response


  - Asian development bank provided a US $3 million grant for initial relief efforts

  - US provided $200 million for the first phase of rebuilding

  - Many NGOs provided aid

  - People resented the government due to the slow arrivals of aid

  - Aid was not distributed evenly across the entirety of Nepal

  - The city received the most aid as the only way to reach rural areas was by helicopter

  - US rescue team worked with the soldiers to create search and rescue teams for people trapped under rubble

  - International rescue teams arrived quite promptly to the city

  - UK disaster emergency committee made an appeal and raised $83 million which was used to fund a range of developmental projects
• NGO help


  - TearFundsProvided 58000 people in Tisturg with temporary shelters, strengthened with iron sheets to protect them from the monsoon rain

  - Operation crisis relief was deployed with consisted of 90% of the army and police force. They helped with immediate response, coordinating rescue and relief teams and follow up recovery operations