Earthquake Flashcards
When, where and why ? ( 3) (Nepal earth quake )
On 25 April 2015 a 7.8 earthquake struck Nepal in Asia. The earthquake occurred on a convergent collision plate boundary between the Indian and Eurasian plates. The focus was only eight kilometres deep and the epicentre was just 60 kilometres north-west from the capital Kathmandu.
Avalanches impact after the nepal earthquake
The earthquake triggered an avalanche on Mount Everest, killing approximately 20 people. This made April 25 2015 the deadliest day on the mountain in history. The earthquake triggered another huge avalanche in the Langtang valley, where 250 people were killed.
Primary impacts ( death toll, injured , children ) Nepal earthquake
8,632 dead (Official death toll)
19,009 injured (Official)
1.7 million children had been driven out into the open
3 million displaced
8 million effcted
1.4 million in need of food aid
Sentences to use ( homeless and homes )
Thousands of houses were destroyed across many districts of the country
Hundreds of thousands of people were made homeless with entire villages flattened
Impacts on infrastructure (nepal earthquake )
Centuries-old buildings were destroyed at UNESCO World Heritage sites in the Kathmandu Valley, including some at the Changu Narayan Temple and the Dharahara Tower.
Thousands of houses were destroyed across many districts of the country.
Sociol impacts (4) nepal earthquake
50% of shops were destroyed, affecting supplies of food and people’s livelihoods.
It was the worst earthquake in Nepal in more than 80 years.
Temperatures dip in Nepal at night, and people chose to sleep outside due to aftershocks or the possibility of houses collapsing.
Three hundred thousand people migrated from Kathmandu to seek shelter and support from friends and family.
Economic impacts (4)
Harvests were reduced or lost that season
. Estimates of damage put at $10billion by Nepalese government
The United States Geological Survey (USGS) initially estimated economic losses at nine per cent to 50 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP), with a best guess of 35 per cent.
Short term loss of tourist revenue, a major industry in Nepal.
Responses (5) aid (nepal)
International aid was provided by India and China who in total committed over $1 billion to help support Nepal.
The UK offered help and support. Over 100 search and rescue responders, medical experts, and disaster and rescue experts were sent together with three Chinook helicopters for use by the Nepali government.
The GIS tool “Crisis mapping” was used to coordinate the response.
Aid workers from charities such as the Red Cross came to help.
Temporary housing was provided, including ‘Tent city’ in Kathmandu. ( half a million tents were provided to shelter the homeless)
More on aid ( banks and money )( nepal earthquake j
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) provided a $3 million grant to Nepal for immediate relief efforts, and up to $200 million for the first phase of rehabilitation.
Aid was donated by a huge number of countries. The UK gave £73 million, of which £23 million was donated by the government and £50 million was donated by the public. The UK also provided 30 tonnes of humanitarian aid and eight tonnes of equipment.
Responses to build capacity to cope (3) nepal earthquake
A new government taskforce was created to help deal with future earthquakes.
Areas were zoned to assess damage.
People are now being educated across Nepal to do earthquake drills.
Response criticism (2)
Responses were criticised as slow - the hardest hit Gorkha-Lamjung epicentre area was visited by helicopter the day after the earthquake and hundreds were feared dead in this area
90 percent of soldiers from the Nepalese army mobilised to worst hit areas, but efforts were hampered by landslides and damaged infrastructure
Time
People are now being educated across Nepal to do earthquake drills.
Two years after the quake, only about 28,000 (3.4%) of those homes and buildings that qualified to receive government assistance for reconstruction – had been rebuilt. A year later, about 113,000 (13.7% of the total) were rebuilt.
