Major Earthquake In Nepal - Case Study Example

BRIEF ON MAJOR EARTHQUAKE IN NEPAL Customer's name: Institution: Customer's Course Tutor's Name Date Introduction Earthquakes are as a result of the movement of the earth’s plates which causes tension of the rocks forcing them to stretch or break. The effects of the earthquakes are usually felt depending on a number of factors among them being the magnitude of the earthquake, the distance from the epicentre, topography of the land, the local ground conditions and depth of focus. Disasters usually disrupt much of the social lives of the people in any given society and discontinues the normal functioning of the communities and losses experienced by the humans, economic, environmental and materials. Assistance from Nepal and the world at large to help Nepal in the recovery and reconstruction process have helped Nepal to take tremendous steps in the building the state back to its original status. The pre and post disaster recovery and construction planning have also sparked extraordinary recovery and helped the state to rebuild the livelihoods of its citizens. The pinch of reconstruction and recovery has been felt by the people and the federal government as they finance for the damages and losses in lives and property. The post disaster recovery plans are established to try and provide the communities with an opportunity to build back to their original status of even better. For effective management of the post recovery process, the plan involves the detection and reduction of disaster risks and rehabilitation to improve quality and help increase the state’s resilience to future disasters. The review will be done to provide a brief on the earthquake that occurred in Nepal on the 25th of April 2015. The review will identify the impact of the earthquake on the state and individuals, the recovery efforts made and the role of the rest of the world in the reconstruction and recovery phases of the state. Nepal is a state that is prone to many land catastrophes among them being fires, floods, earthquakes and hurricanes. The states rests are the height of the Himalayas which is home to about twenty of the world longest mountains. The mountainous terrain of the area makes it prone to earthquakes as it is a hive of volcanic activities. Statistics have shown that the nation of Nepal usually experiences 100,000 minor earthquakes annually and about one earthquake whose magnitude is above 8 after every 25 years. Nepal has suffered deadly earthquakes with the latest being in May and April 2015. The worst of these earthquakes occurred on the 25th of April 2015 where the earthquake recorded a magnitude of 7.9 on the Richter scale. A few months after the earthquake, Nepal has undergone tremendous changes especially in the regions that had been previously affected by the earthquake. Impact of the earthquake The disastrous events from the earthquake for a nation that poor and politically paralyzed draw up long term chain of events that may end up affecting the citizens and the government for years and decades. The type of earthquake that occurred in April 2015 was the thrust earthquake and the affected areas were Nepal, India, Bangladesh and China. The total damage of property from the earthquake was estimated to be $ 5 billion. This is about 25% of the total GDP of the Nepal. Casualties from the earthquake totalled 8,857 from Nepal and a total of 8,964 for the four states affected. The official injuries in the earthquake for the four states were about 21, 952. The earthquake occurred in two phases, the first being in April 25th 2015. Aftershocks from the earthquake were felt every 15- 20 minutes having high magnitudes of up to 6.7 on the Richter scale. The second phase of the earthquake occurred on 12th may 2015. The second phase of the earthquake was however of lower magnitude geologists said it had a magnitude of 7.3 on the Richter scale [Wor15]. In Nepal, the statistics provided by form the earthquake were devastating as the earthquake had flattened many districts around the country. Among the buildings that were destroyed include some centuries old buildings. The old buildings and monument at UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the Kathmandu Valley were also brought down by the strong earthquake shocks that struck Nepal in 2015.The aftershocks from the earthquake occurred in intervals of 20 minutes with one of the shocks being of a high magnitude of 6.7 on the Richter scale on 26th April. The aftershock killed more than 200 people and injured more than 2500 people. Previously, geologists had warned of the state being vulnerable to earthquakes since it lies in the boundary of the Indian plate under thrusts. Similarly, the urbanization structure as well as the architectural structure also makes the state vulnerable to earthquakes. Flooding was another of the major problems that were experienced after the earthquake hit Nepal. The earthquake triggered an avalanche on the snow capped mountains of the Mount Everest killing hundreds and leaving scores of people seriously injured [Uni15]. Recovery efforts The recovery efforts to the earthquake is done in a number of steps; the first being the immediate response to the earthquake made by the local government and the people. As usual, the people who are directly affected by the disaster will be the first to initiate the recovery efforts as they await the external assistance that may or may not be available [Vin01]. The local government is required to stay alert and effectively prepare to respond to disaster events. The policies and plans are expected to provide an effective and flexible disaster management plan for the state as a whole. The trained officials from the local institutions and authorities take up the first task to promptly start the evacuation process. The government officials within the local area that is affected by the disaster take up leadership roles to provide local search and rescue operations in the area. The search and recovery by the people and the local government is however in most cases a short term operation as they wait for the state administration to take charge. The first recovery effort by the local government and the people is the evacuation of the masses from the damaged building and high risk areas to areas that are safer. In spite of the high deaths and injuries, relatives and colleagues assisted in the rescue operations for the short term recovery process [Din15]. The state administration comes in second to support the rescue operations. Their main duties are that of the administrative operations and risk management operations. The disaster management plans provide a framework and a set of principles that are used by the state administration to manage risk [Ker15]. In Nepal, during the April 2015 earthquake, the risk management principles were effectively used and were applied prior and after the earthquake occurred. The risk management principles used by the state administration prior to the earthquake include the preventive ethics such as proper preparedness to manage crisis after a disaster occurs [Amn15].It has been argued out that a disaster can be prepared for, before it happens. Communication remains a critical factor to ensure that the people who are affected get the right information before and after the earthquake. After the geologists had identified that there would be a major earthquake in the region of Nepal, it provided information to the government. Although the government had fewer resources, they worked to ensure that they utilize the little resources to ensure that they save the maximum possible lives. The government through the media communicated to its citizens about the probability of having a major earthquake so that they can remain alert and prepared when the earthquake occurred. Similarly, after the earthquake, the government communicated to the relevant authorities to have then deployed to the affected areas and ensure that they rescue missions are successful enough. Ignorance, poverty and lack of basic education are setbacks to proper disaster management. It is however, a legal requirement that irrespective of the background of the people; they should be communicated to when warning for future disaster through well defined channels. This will help reduce the negative effects of the calamities as people will be better prepared to face the situation [Nei15]. The best way to communicate to the masses in proper disaster management techniques is to offer educational training and well as establishing proper channels to communicate warnings of disaster strikes to the masses. The 2015 earthquake was not the first to happen in the state. There have been numerous disaster strikes before and geologists have also provided warnings that the state is prone to earthquakes. It would therefore, be ethical for the state to provide proper training to the masses through the media and in the form of rallies especially in the areas that are more prone to the disaster. An earthquake strike does not occur immediately. With proper tools, it is possible for the state to identify the probability of an earthquake strike. After the detection of the sign of an earthquake, warnings should be communicated in a manner that will enhance understanding to the masses to prepare them for the occurrence of the disaster. Geologists pointed out the areas that would be mostly affected by the disaster and allowed the people to have ample time to evacuate such areas. The state administration also foresees the management of the available resources to ensure they are optimally used in managing the disaster. Orders from the state administration after the earthquake required that the army be deployed into the affected areas as well as professional search and rescue forces to conduct rescue missions [Nat15]. The state worked to coordinate the different entities to ensure that they effectively provided emergency aid to the individuals who were directly or indirectly affected by the earthquake. The first attempt was to ensure that the relevant authorities are informed of the areas that require more resources and have they directed more resource to such areas. Similarly, the forces from the government were also well coordinated as they were deployed to different areas affected by the earthquake to ensure that they save maximum lives. After the earthquake, buildings collapsed and people were trapped inside. The use of the army in such situations ensures that the number of casualties is reduced since the army has better tools to use in the rescue and evacuation process. Similarly, after the disaster, medical personnel were deployed to the affected zones in Nepal to provide first hand expert medical attention to those affected directly or indirectly by the disaster. One of the main objectives of medical personnel’s during disaster is to respond quickly when an emergency occurs. They attend to the victims and offer them quick medical care that saves life. The second phase of the disaster management plan was to help the victims of the disaster to meet their basic needs. The immediate needs of the victims include first aid to reduce the number of casualties, food, tents, clothing and shelter. First aid was provided to the injured persons on the ground and the critically injured persons were evacuated and transported to the health facilities for further medical care to be administered. International aid agencies such as the Red Cross and the Doctors without Borders provided the services of evacuation of the injured people to the health facilities [Kat15]. The integration of disaster risk management activities and planning into the recovery process after a disaster is another important option. The risk assessment and management requires that the state conducts and pre and post risk assessment to determine the high risk areas and offer solutions and be prepared in the case of disaster strikes. The policies and plans of risk management are covered through prevention, preparedness, response and disaster recovery phases which are well communicated to the community to be adopted [Int15]. The final recovery effort was the rehabilitation of the zones that were affected by the earthquake. After the geologists give a go ahead that there will be no more disaster strike from the earthquakes aftershocks, qualified architects, engineers and masons should be deployed in ensuring all building codes are met [Int151]. Reconstruction of buildings should be done in such a way that they are resistant to earthquakes to reduce the damages that are experienced from the collapse of the buildings in future. After the earthquake, the reconstruction process in Nepal was undertaken almost immediately. The collapsed building and roads started being reconstructed. The government also created the Nepal Earthquake Appeal, a relief network that was used to offer funds and provide channels of communication to small non-governmental organizations. Gaps filled by external assistance During crisis, no matter how prepared governments and states are, gaps will be evident depending on the nature and magnitude of the crisis. External assistance came from the local organizations as well as international bodies that sent resource both financial and human resources to oversee the rescue operations and reconstruction of the state back to its original state. The local government had stayed alert after they had received warnings of the potential earthquake and prepared to respond to the disaster event when it occurred. The policies and plans had been expected to provide effective disaster management options for the earthquake. The armies from Nepal and India joined forces to try and evacuate as many people as possible as well as rescuing those who were trapped in the collapsed buildings. The resources available to the local government were however not enough to manage the disaster for the whole country. External assistance from the international bodies such as the United Nations, World health organization, International Monetary Fund and UNICEF became an issue of great importance [Mar15]. Health facilities were not spared when the earthquake struck Nepal and the buildings also collapsed. The world health organization in partnership with other health international organizations reconstructed the hospitals where the victims of the earthquake could be treated and observed. The organization also provided immediate medication to the victims who had serious injuries. The earthquake left thousands homeless and after their evacuation, they needed to be sheltered and provided with food and clean water. WHO and UNICEF also identified that since there were large crowds of people gathered together in the regions that they were being evacuated to; the risk of disease outbreak and spread was high. An outbreak with the high congestion of the people into one area increased the risk of spreading a disease in case of an outbreak. Diarrheal and respiratory diseases were the main concerns after the earthquake. To control the Diarrheal, the WHO and UNICEF paid for water tanks to be erected in the zones where the people had been evacuated to. Similarly, UNICEF provided the people with supplements such as the oral rehydration salts that helped to prevent Diarrheal. Tents were also put up to provide short term housing to the affected residents thus reducing their exposure to environmental hazards that could bring respiratory infections. The international organizations such as the Emergency Natural Disaster Assistance (ENDA) under the International Monetary Fund (IMF) provide financial assistance to offset the extra costs incurred by the states. For the low and middle income countries, the IMF developed the Rapid Credit Facility package (RFC) to offer emergence technical support and policy advice to such countries. The international organizations such as the Red Cross and Doctors without Borders offered immediate medical response to the affected areas as well as evacuating people to zones that are of less risk to the earthquakes. In Nepal, the IMF provided assistance to the Nepalese government by meeting their financial needs that rose from the fall in their export earnings. The government also required to increase their import earnings into the country to reduce the depletion of the reserves in the resources available to the country. The reconstruction of the damages that had been caused by the earthquake required the government to finance it using almost 25% of their annual spending. The government could not readily afford such costs thus the IMF rapidly reacted to provide assistance and try to stabilize the economy of the country. The United Kingdom was also charitable in helping Nepal following the 2015 earthquake by contributing the largest aid to support the country and the affected communities at large. The UK government increased its support by offering shelter, food and water to the victims of the 2015 Nepal earthquake Recommendations A single disaster killing more than 8000 people and seriously injuring more than 27,000 people leaves a lot of questions unanswered in the minds of the citizens and the nation as a whole. The Nepal earthquake destroyed property that was estimated to be about $ 5 billion which is worth almost 25% of the net spending of the country. The main issue to the problem was the disaster preparedness of the country. Disaster preparedness is a function of how fast and well individuals respond when faced with an emergency. Proper preparedness should be done from the state level to the lowest level which is the family level. At the state level, proper preparedness to a disaster means that they manage the resource available well by dispatching them to different areas that are high risk areas to emergencies and strategically deploying professional to different regions to ensure that in case of a disaster or emergency occurring, they professions will be ready to help the citizens in the evacuation process. Disaster preparedness at the local and family level should be done in a number of ways. The step is to ensure that the people are well educated on how to act when they are faced by a disaster or a calamity. Disaster related concerns in different countries for disaster management is aimed at limiting, controlling and minimizing the effects of disaster in the state. The introduction of new systems to govern disaster management in such countries is a legal requirement of both the national and international law on disasters. If the laws that govern countries on proper disaster management and prevention could have been promptly followed, then the effects of the earthquake could have been less severe. Although Nepal is a poor country whose annual spending are about $20 billion, reservations and savings should be made to be used for the preparation and management of disasters .[Apr15] REFERENCES Wor15: , (World Bank Group, 2015), Uni15: , (United States. Congress. House. Committee on Foreign Affairs., 2015), Vin01: , (Vinod, 2001), Din15: , (Dina, 2015), Ker15: , (Kerry, 2015), Amn15: , (Amnesty International, 2015), Nei15: , (Neil, 2015), Nat15: , (National human rightd commisison , 2015), Kat15: , (Kathmandu Valley Preservation trust, 2015), Int15: , (International monetary Fund , 2015), Int151: , (Internationsl centre for intergrated Mountain development, 2015), Mar15: , (Marston, 2015), Apr15: , (Raval, 2015), Read More