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The Nepal earthquake happened in 2015 on the 25th of April. It destroyed many homes, health facilities and took about 9000 lives away. The intensity of the earthquake had a maximum Mercalli Intensity of VIII (Severe) and magnitude of 7.8.
How it Happened
Since Nepal is in between two large tectonic plates, it is particularly prone to earthquakes. The Nepal earthquake occurred because of two intersecting tectonic plates; the U.S. Geological Survey said the India plate was overriding the Eurasia plate to the north.
Impacts + Costs
The earthquake struck just northwest of the capital of Kathmandu and killed nearly 9000 people while also destroying over 850,000 homes. The Washington Post stated that ‘the country saw a number of its quintessential UNESCO World Heritage sites and most favoured tourist attractions, some registering back more than 1,700 years, diminished to piles of debris.’ All this costs the government about $9 billion in costs, which is about half of Nepal’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
Mount Everest Avalanche
The intensity of the earthquake caused fatal avalanches in Mount Everest and is believed that it killed at least 17 people and injured at least 61 others who were at the base camp. The Daily Mail states ‘around 170 climbers were evacuated from the south side of the peak due to fears of further avalanches, while Chinese authorities closed the Tibetan side for security reasons.’
A survivor of the Mount Everest avalanche said that he would still have snow-related nightmares and anything that looked like an avalanche or earthquake was happening, like waves in the ocean on the beach or people running, would make him panic.
Assistance + Government Response
Companies such as World Vision Australia helped people affected by this earthquake by giving food and emergency essentials to survivors and reconstructing destroyed buildings. However, the government got heavily criticised for the slow response. Different countries helped by donating money like Australia. ‘Australia’s contribution of $16.7 million between 2015 and 2017 for Nepal’s long-term recovery (in addition to $11.9 million provided in 2014-15 for the humanitarian response) provided critical assistance to help people rebuild their lives following the April 2015 earthquake and a subsequent aftershock in May 2015.’
Prevention
Ways that Nepal could prevent or lower the damage from earthquakes like this one from destroying as many buildings are constructing earthquake-proof buildings and in order to achieve that, you need to design buildings that resist sideways movements. Taller buildings tend to stay intact better than shorter ones if they are both equally sturdy.
Recovery
After a few years after the earthquake, Nepal is still slowly but also failing to recover from the earthquake. It is still normal seeing damaged buildings, and debris lying on the floor which shows how sluggish getting everything back to normal is. The Conversation explains that ‘in the aftermath of the earthquakes, Nepal’s National Planning Commission estimated that the country needed more than US$7 billion for recovery. The billions of dollars committed by international donors were not translated into a clear plan to direct the money, which meant it has had little impact in rebuilding.’
In conclusion, the 2015 Nepal Earthquake took many lives away not only in Nepal but also people at the base camp in Mount Everest. Many buildings, facilities and world heritage sights got destroyed and damaged.
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