Narratives from Nepal: Relief and Rebuilding after the Gorkha Earthquake

At the American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting next week, geoscientists will discuss findings from the April 2015 Gorkha Earthquake that devastated Nepal and killed approximately 8,900 people. EARTH Magazine brings you a special feature that describes how initial data informed relief efforts and how 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://www.earthmagazine.org/article/narratives-nepal-relief-and-rebuilding-after-gorkha-earthqual

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