Case Study - Nepal Earthquake

Question 1

date and time

Answer 1

25/4/15 at 11:26/56

Question 2

focus & epicentre

Answer 2

15km & Barpak, 80km NW of capital

Question 3

magnitude

Answer 3

7.8

Question 4

cause of earthquake (2)

Answer 4

-result of collision between Indian plate overriding Eurasia plate to the N
-Indian plate converging w/ Eurasian at 45mm/yr towards NNE, driving uplift of Himalayan mountain range

Question 5

location (4)

Answer 5

-between india & china
-capital in kathmandu w/700000 ppl
-4events w/ mag 6 or < occurred within 250km in past century
-pop: 28mil

Question 6

development (life expectancy, HDI, GDP)

Answer 6

-70.7
-0.54 (146th out of 193)
-$1320

Question 7

primary effects (4)

Answer 7

-8841 dead, >20000 injured, >1mil homeless
-historic buildings destroyed (Darahara tower w/200 trapped)
-destruction of **26 hospitals & 50% of schools
-352 aftershocks**, e.g. 7.3 earthquake on 12/5/15

Question 8

secondary effects (6)

Answer 8

-avalanche on Mt Everest:
killed 19, other avalanches in Langtang killed 250
-landslides:
block roads delaying recovery efforts, block Kali Gandaki river & evacuation
-315000ppl unreachable by road & 75000 unreachable by air
-congested airport
-rice seed ruined causing food shortage
-90% of tourism cancelled

(homelessness)

Question 9

immediate responses (8)

Answer 9

-tents in Kathmandu, 225000 from red cross
-UN & WHO sent medical supplies
-Sherpas hiked relief supplies to remote areas cut off by landslide
-90% soldiers from army to worst hit areas
-companies stop charging calls
-responses slow, epicentre visited by helicopter days afters
-1/5 international aid agencies medically evacuating wounded by helicopter
-GIS tool ‘crisis mapping’

Question 10

long-term responses (5)

Answer 10

• completed a Post-Disaster Needs Assessment, 26 areas need rebuilding, ADB provided $3mil grant for relief efforts
  -UK gave £83mil, gave 30tonnes of humanitarian aid & 8tonnes of equipment
  -UK offered send 100 search & rescue responders, medical experts & disaster experts; engineers, 3 helicopters
  -Durbar Square heritage site reopened 6/15 & Mt.E reopened in 8/15 w/extended climbing permits
  -5yrs later 100,000 homeless still

Question 11

level of prep

Answer 11

lacked order, chaotic, high death toll, homeless, low building standards