On Saturday, 4/25, Nepal suffered a 7.9 magnitude earthquake. There have been tons of aftershocks and the earthquake has caused a lot of avalanches in the Himalayas, too. The entire country has been devastated, as the death toll has continued to rise above 2,500. Over 5,000 people have been injured as well.
Even worse, these aftershocks have made it very difficult for relief efforts to be implemented. Many people are worried about unsafe buildings, so the Nepali government has called for people to sleep outside, crowding the streets. Safe shelters have also been destroyed as there continues to be heavy rain.
To gain a sense of the extent of the devastation, here are before and after pictures of the Dharahara Tower, an incredibly historic building that was in the capital, Kathmandu:
If you are interested in helping some of the relief efforts going on now, please consider donating to some of the following organizations, which are currently organizing relief operations:
UNICEF is preparing cargo flights to help bring supplies to affected children.
The UN World Food Program is sending emergency response teams to Nepal.
The International Medical Corps also has a team on the ground to provide emergency supplies and care.
The New York Times has a more complete list of organizations providing relief.
Sources:
http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/nepal-earthquake/dharahara-tower-n348586
http://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2015/apr/26/nepal-earthquake-death-toll-exceeds-1500-rolling-report
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/27/world/asia/nepal-earthquake-katmandu.html?_r=0
http://www.nytimes.com/live/earthquake-katmandu-nepal-updates/how-to-help-the-relief-effort-in-nepal/
Kristen, it's really awesome that you provided a list of organizations that we can donate to to help because the earthquake has put such a strain on the Nepali, who rely heavily on tourism to make a living. Just as a comparison, Saturday's earthquake was about 16 times more powerful than the 7.0 quake that hit Haiti back in 2010 and has the same magnitude as the 1906 San Francisco earthquake.
ReplyDeleteThanks for posting! I saw that you mentioned the destruction of the Dharahara Tower, so I looked it up and found some interesting facts: It was built in 1832 and was part of the architecture of Kathmandu, 7 groups of heritage monuments and buildings. The tower was a big tourist attraction that was open for 10 years. It actually survived an 1834 earthquake and was rebuilt by the prime minister after being destroyed in a 1934 earthquake, which makes me wonder if they will try to rebuild it again.
ReplyDeleteIt seems that Nepal is very prone to earthquakes. Here's an article with a brief history of Nepal's earthquakes that is worth looking at if you are interested: http://blogs.wsj.com/indiarealtime/2015/04/25/dharahara-minaret-then-and-now-a-history-of-earthquakes-in-nepal/
Thank you for posting! I wondered if anything culturally significant to Nepal's culture was destroyed in the earthquake. The Swayambunath temple, in the center of Khatmandu, was known as the spiritual heart of the country prior to the devestation. However, the Swayambunath and other temples now lie in ruin. Many of these temples dated back to the 12th and 18th centuries, and attracted the many tourists that the nation's fragile economy depended upon. Nepal will be facing sever economic, cultural, and (obviously) physical casualties due to this devastating natural disaster.
ReplyDeleteOn another note, if any of you are interested in donating to assist Nepal I would suggest checking out http://www.charitynavigator.org/ to see if your donation will really be put to use or not. This website provides accurate information through expense forms, etc. to determine how much money actually goes to the organizations programs.
Link Below:
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-04-26/nepal-earthquake-kills-over-1800/6422194