http://www.cnn.com/2015/04/25/asia/nepal-earthquake-7-5-magnitude/index.html

There may be deaths in Everest Base Camp. I slept there two nights over Easter weekend, just a few weeks ago. Yipes.

https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=10153374789225757&id=68842540756

To be honest, while I am sympathetic to the plight of the climbers, it is the people in Kathmandu who desperately need help. Initial reports say 1,000 dead - but it is likely that this toll will climb much higher.

The U.N. has been warning residents of Kathmandu for years that a huge earthquake would come, based on seismic studies. The PROBLEM is that many, many people are living in houses made of bricks and stones. So the dwellings are very vulnerable to quakes. However, with the population explosion in the city, there was nothing else that people could do.

They SERIOUSLY NEED emergency help over there, folks!!
IF anyone here can pack their bags and GO ... this is an important disaster to RESPOND to!!
Good luck!!

Pete

If anyone gets any info on global relief groups who are working this Nepal earthquake and GETTING THINGS DONE - please post the INFO here. I am talking specifically about groups who are going there and doing excellent work. It doesn't matter if the relief groups are large or tiny ... it just matters that they are on-location and making a real contribution.

This list will provide a good source if you want to make DONATIONS.
Also, if anyone does want to VOLUNTEER, the suggestions on this thread will give you some places to start.

thanks folks!!
Pete

Pete - a friend of mine has done several treks in Nepal and Bhutan and is friends with Jamling Norgay (the son of Tenzing Norgay - who summited Everest with Sir Edmund Hillary).

My friend has e-mailed Jamling and will let me know if he recommends a particular fund or organization. Meanwhile, she's checking to see what the American Himalayan Foundation is doing to help. Jamling's brother works there.

http://www.himalayan-foundation.org



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Yes, the need will be greatest in and around Kathmandu and not at base camp. Some relief groups posted on cnn...

http://www.cnn.com/specials/impact-your-world

The American Himalayan Foundation is taking donations to direct toward disaster relief needed because of these earthquakes:


Please make a donation and direct it to Earthquake Disaster Relief on the donation page.

Or call us at 415.288.7245

We have started a fund to help people affected by this sudden, devastating tragedy. 100% of gifts will go directly to emergency aid and helping rebuild and recover in the wake of this terrible disaster.



The page discussing the disaster relief:

http://www.himalayan-foundation.org/blog


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DAGNY - thanks, great job!!

I fear that there are LOT more people buried in the small villages that are at the epicenter of that quake. But the greatest need is probably Kathmandu itself - just because of the sheer density of the population. This is a very COLD place for people to be outside and without shelter ... after a major quake.

Pete

Death toll from this earthquake now at 1510 people and climbing.

Here is the best site that I know for earthquake info ...

http://earthquake-report.com/

Pete

That is a very informative page, Pete, thanks.

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UPDATE

Casualty figure now almost 2,000 people.

The weather is raining at the epicenter, close to the village of Barpak in Nepal. People there have no shelter, no food, and are scared to go back inside their homes. Overnight temperatures are 12 deg C.

There is an URGENT NEED for first responders to get food and medical supplies into the epicenter zone.

Pete

Here's an UPDATE on the situation at Everest Base Camp.
It looks like there are 17 people dead there.
The news is focusing on the fact that some of the dead are prominent people (incl. one exec from Google) - but all climbers are 'people', regardless of status. Everyone matters!

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2015-04-26/dramatic-images-mount-everest-avalanche

It sounds like the situation is very difficult up there ... very large avalanches. Probably the firsthand reports will start to trickle out in the next week.

Pete

The comments at the bottom of the zerohedge link are brutal.

This is just the beginning of the death toll. A 1934 quake hit the region in 1934, causing 10,000 fatalities. One also must wonder about about climbers on other mountains nearby, as well as isolated villages even closer to the epicenter. This is bad stuff, indeed.

From an article in todsys LA Times: "The most critical factor in reducing a community's risk from an earthquake is the adoption and enforcement of up-to-date building codes." LA take note.

Our local hospital is constructing a major addition. In an area prone to liquifaction, a major phase has been the construction of an adequate sub-foundation -a big hole in the ground into which a gazzillion tons of concrete have been poured. Let's hope it works....

I get the feeling that the casualty totals are underestimated.

That Zerohedge video and stills (Pete posted the link above) is stunning.

Thanks to smartphones, disasters are well documented these days -- even in 3rd world countries.



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The international community -- private organizations and governments -- seem to have been quick to mobilize, but getting to such a remote location is a chore in the best of times and circumstances.

Israel is once again demonstrating a resolve to help out in a big way when disaster strikes elsewhere in the world. I've been very impressed with how quickly and effectively Israel has stepped up in this and other disasters.

http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/1.653585

The Israeli army was preparing to send a rescue mission to Nepal Sunday that includes 260 people who will fly to Katmandu and set up a field hospital there.

Forty doctors and about 80 members of a medical team will operate the military field hospital, which will include operating rooms, X-rays, an emergency room, a room for expectant mothers and more. Three rescue teams, each of them with 20 rescuers, will also be included in the military delegation, as well as three dogs from the Oketz canine special forces unit and their handlers.

The delegation will bring with it 95 tons of equipment for 14 full days of operation.


http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/27/world/asia/nepal-earthquake-international-aid-agencies.html?_r=0


"A United States disaster relief response team of almost 70 people is expected to arrive on Monday, according Susan Parker-Burns, a spokeswoman for the United States Embassy in Katmandu. Two teams of American Special Forces were already in Nepal on a training exercise, and were now providing logistical and medical support to the country’s army, she added."

The Atlantic has a photo spread on the devastation in Kathmandu.

As is usually the case, the official first responders are overwhelmed by such a disaster. This is no doubt particularly true in a country such as Nepal, where government agencies are hardly adequate even in normal times. Your best and fastest hope of rescue from a collapsed building is from local people around you.

The NYT has an article by an American living near Kathmandu.

It is good that the various international rescue and aid teams are coming. No doubt the international rescue teams will find a few people still alive under the rubble. But the hard fact is that most trapped people who survive are found within the first 48 hours after the quake. By the time the Israeli, US, German, and other foreign teams arrive, all but a very few who are still buried in rubble will be dead. The most important aid the international effort can provide is to help the rest of the population cope.

Jshannon ... ZeroHedge tries to give an alternate view of the economy and the financial system. A lot of the comments tend to be cynical - because regular readers are disenfranchised from the US economic system. Therefore, the general tone of the Commenters is often sarcastic or cynical. Unfortunately, this same tone can carry across to the regular news articles on ZeroHedge. I advise that you take the Comments there with a grain of salt.

ZeroHedge does OFFER the advantage that they are especially energetic in tracking down Internet sources for info that is not carried by the mainstream media. That would be their primary advantage for the "regular news" that they cover.

Pete

ASKAR - my thinking is the same as yours.

The only possible hope was the military units within Nepal, and possibly the Ghurka regiments in Britain - if the UK mobilized them as quickly as possible.

I think that the closest help could conceivably come from China - but its not clear whether they offered a lot of help, and whether it was accepted.

Otherwise you are 100% correct, with rainfall in the quake zone and nightly temps dropping to 12 deg C - any survivors under the rubble will perish very quickly.

VERY SAD.

Pete

LOL That's one of my go-to web sites. No wonder I have such a bent perspective on current events. Calling some of the comments simply sarcastic & cynical is being polite. The articles themselves are usually good and often much more on target than main stream media. IMO

Death toll now around 2600, and I won't be surprised if it goes above 5,000 people by the time they check all the villages near the epicenter. It is possible that some small villages have been buried completely.

Death toll at Everest Basecamp now 18. That was a VERY big avalanche that hit the camp .... it's fortunate they don't have more casualties.

Intl. disaster units are flying to Nepal now. BUT it seems unlikely that any of these people will get out to the epicenter zone. Their efforts will be tied up trying to assist the 2.5 million people in Kathmandu.

The overall response seems small - compared to the size and complexity of the disaster.

http://abc7chicago.com/news/aftershocks-hit-nepal-as-death-toll-rises-above-2500-after-quake/682219/

Pete

Facebook activates "Safety Check". For those who have or can get to internet connection (even briefly), this seems like a useful feature. I've often pondered that were a major quake to occur in Alaska, how I might notify my family outside that I was safe?

One hopes that in the event of a major disaster in the first world, that organizations such as the Red Cross would establish internet connections in their emergency shelters just so people could pass brief messages via Facebook or other means.

"One hopes that in the event of a major disaster in the first world, that organizations such as the Red Cross would establish internet connections in their emergency shelters just so people could pass brief messages via Facebook or other means."

that's actually an excellent idea. But I doubt that the Red Cross has that kind of comms equipment, or the budget to make it happen. It's really the kind of thing that the NSA should consider doing for Americans - they are the folks with the brilliant communications systems. YES, the good-old-NSA who gets all the bad press. But WHAT IF, they decided to do something nice???

Pete

That is a wonderful idea, but it appears that the #1 priority in Nepal right now is decent drinking water. With the advent of monsoon rains, sanitation and protection from mosquito borne illness will be a significant public health issue. Status updates to relatives are a bit further down the list.

What can we learn from all of this? Tectonic forces are inexorable, and if you live where they can affect you, prepare! Even in the best of circumstances, organized relief will be many hours, if not days, away. Get ready, for your turn in the barrel is coming (at least that is my perspective from southern California).

In the USA ham radio operators are trained and prepared to work with disaster agencies to get information where it needs to go. Health and welfare information from people in the affected area is handled at a higher priority than routine traffic. We practice message handling of this nature constantly.

In addition to amateur radio organizations like ARES/RACES serving other agencies, I understand that the American Red Cross has its own communications, including hams who volunteer with them.

We have the same in the UK:

RAYNET Introduction

hikermor

the BEST outfit that I have seen for water problems ... the military from Austria. YES - Austria. I know, I know. Nobody knows about them!!

Austria (not Australia) has a special military unit that assists with disasters. They are trained and well equipped for disaster support. Especially for purifying water and providing clean drinking water. Their team is AWESOME at this job.

I saw them in 2002 in Africa. I HOPE that they are still doing this. I HOPE that they are on the way to Kathmandu.

The world needs more specialized military units like this. It makes a tremendous difference when people contribute in this way!

Pete

Here is an interesting article on high tech, real time mapping to aid relief efforts: http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2015-04/28/mapping-nepal-after-the-earthquake

Thought provoking piece on use of UAVs in disaster response.
The video imbedded is as sad as the music is beautiful.

UAVs in disasters


Applications for personal situational awareness may be worth considering.

The videographers other entries on his web site are a hoot.

The last I heard, the casualty figure is now around 7,500 people.

A big problem right now is that cholera has become a real threat in some places in Kathmandu. People are defacating outdoors, and water sources are getting polluted. This is BIG need for NGO's who can help with water purification and medical treatment.

Pete

Just a quick comment. But possibly there are people on this forum who have direct EXPERIENCE with work in cholera-related disasters.

There is a cholera vaccine that you can get, if you are a health worker or an emergency worker. From memory, the vaccine is only partly effective. It does not give full protection. It is WORTH getting the cholera shot, if you are in a high-risk area.

Your main safety steps against the disease are to use disposable gloves, and throw-away garments when you are treating people who might have cholera. Make sure your gloves, and your clothes are properly disposed of ... for example by burning. A good choice for protection would be a throw-away smock or an apron, and some old shoes that you don't mind losing. ALSO, make sure to wash up your skin with a good germicidal soap after any volunteer services.

Don't over-dramatise the illness. You WON'T get cholera if you are simply CAREFUL about basic things, like maintaining simple isolation and washing your hands. AND of course the obvious .. make sure that you have your own independent supply of clean drinking water. PROTECT your water bottle!

Pete

I experienced a cholera epidemic in Latin America in the early 1990s. What Pete says is true, just being careful can get you through safely. I would recommend an over abundance of caution, cleaning and purifying everything. All water sources are suspect. PPE when dealing directly with patients.

Apparently the 7.8 earthquake was only a warm-up ...

http://news.yahoo.com/warning-nepal-april-earthquake-didnt-unleash-energy-192603261.html

What does everyone always say after every earthquake?

"Ya'know, that wasn't the Big One."