EARTH Magazine: Narratives from Nepal: Relief and Rebuilding after the Gorkha Earthquake

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Maureen Moses (mmoses@americangeosciences.org)

12/11/2015

 

Alexandria, VA - Next week at the American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting, geoscientists will be meeting to discuss findings from the April 2015 Gorkha Earthquake, which devastated Nepal and killed approximately 8,900 people. EARTH Magazine brings you a special feature that describes how initial data informed relief efforts and a community ranging from mountaineers to geophysicists to engineers is helping Nepal rebuild.

 

EARTH spoke with a mountain climber whose summit plan was cut short by shaking on Annapurna, but whose trip wasn't wasted: Instead, he and his fellow mountaineers turned into rescuers, coming to the aid of those in need by seeking donations from engaged online social communities, and by hiking from village to village to deliver necessities from aid agencies. EARTH also spoke with a geophysicist who was on the ground within days of the quake to assess the damage and ongoing seismic risk, as well as a U.S.-based Nepalese expat who  used local knowledge to streamline supply delivery for rebuilding efforts.

 

Despite the loss of life, this earthquake could have been worse. EARTH explores the science between what was expected versus what actually occurred, and shares how decades of geoscience education helped influence local builders, resulting in structures that were not so easily toppled: http://bit.ly/1m8WNgZ.

 

Start off the new year by adding more geoscience! Subscribe to EARTH Magazine to get the science behind the headlines. The latest issue explores a possible solution to gaps in broad spectrum light in the field of astronomy and physics; bone evidence that could push back when human ancestors started hunting, and a comment from experts regarding the impact of the Volkswagen clean-diesel scandal. For all this and more, go to www.earthmagazine.org. 

 

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Keep up to date with the latest happenings in Earth, energy and environment news with EARTH Magazine online at: http://www.earthmagazine.org/. Published by the American Geosciences Institute, EARTH is your source for the science behind the headlines.

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The American Geosciences Institute is a nonprofit federation of geoscientific and professional associations that represents more than 250,000 geologists, geophysicists and other earth scientists. Founded in 1948, AGI provides information services to geoscientists, serves as a voice of shared interests in the profession, plays a major role in strengthening geoscience education, and strives to increase public awareness of the vital role the geosciences play in society's use of resources, resiliency to natural hazards, and interaction with the environment.