Nepal's Worst Earthquake In 80 Years

[Pdoggg]

RIP

 

 

A powerful earthquake — the country's worst in 80 years — rocked mountainous Nepal on Saturday, killing more than 1,800 people and leveling buildings and centuries-old temples. Dozens if not hundreds remained trapped under mounds of rubble.

 

Hospitals in the capital of Katmandu were so crowded that many of the injured were treated outside in the open, according to local media. The magnitude-7.8 quake, which shook a wide swath of northern India, Bangladesh, Tibet and Pakistan, also triggered avalanches in the Himalayas, killing at least 10 people on Mount Everest.

 

Nepal police said at least 1,865 people were killed. Given the scale of the destruction, the death toll was expected to rise. An emergency Cabinet meeting designated 29 districts as crisis zones, the Home Affairs Ministry said.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2015/04/25/nepal-earthquake/26354073/

 

[JaiDee]

This is so tragic....besides the loss of life [1800+ so far] and more than 5000 injuries, thousands will be displaced and many of the country's beautiful cultural landmarks have been destroyed.  I spent a week there in 2011 and a month there in 2012, one of the most beautiful and unique places I've ever been.

 

 In Kathmandu and Bhaktapur, which is just 10 miles from the capitol, you can see the dividing line between what was new-ish and what was still there from pre-1934, when the last big earthquake hit. Patan too. Walking around those cities was like being in a living museum  and now many of those fantastic places are just destroyed after standing for 300, 400 years or more.

 

  Seeing these photos online today breaks my heart, RIP to the loverly and gentle people of Nepal.

 

http://blogs.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/the-photo-blog/nepal-landmarks-before-and-after-the-earthquake/

[JaiDee]

If you've ever been to Bhaktapur in eastern Nepal this video will strike home for you.  I stayed for 3 weeks in a little guest house just steps from where this was shot.

 

This was taken the second of the actual, 7.9 earthquake last week.

 

Even if you haven't you can see the damage done to Shangri-La, tragic.

 

 

[rxpharm]

While I have not been to Nepal yet, I have met a number of Nepalese working in the Arabian Gulf countries. It is a terrible tragic event, more so as Nepal does not have the resources to cope with the situation. I took advantage of a promotion the Canadian Red Cross had with a major insurance company - they would double any contributions made during the month of April by using a special link. I donated a sum with knowledge that it was more effective and will go towards helping the people of Nepal.

[JaiDee]

http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/imageo/2015/04/30/kathmandu-thrust-two-feet-upward-by-nepal-quake/#.VUOR8xfmqlo

 

Entire City of Kathmandu and Surroundings May Have Been Thrust More Than Two Feet Upward by Nepal Earthquake

[Hefe]

Turns out the son of my cousin was on a base camp somewhere there, he was able to call back home to say he was safe but the roads are filled with debris & they are walking back to the nearest big town, perhaps it's Katmandu, very slowly. US relief services will probably airlift them at some point.

 

The irony is that they are ER physicians & want to help but are isolated & then there is apparently some red tape about being actually allowed to practice without a certified ngo credential or something of the sort that may send them out... hard to say what since the country is in chaos.

[JaiDee]

 but the roads are filled with debris & they are walking back to the nearest big town

 

 

 

   From what I have seen and experienced, the roads over there are rough to travel on even in the best of times. Can't even imagine what they are going through now, especially in the very remote areas.

 

  I once took my 'cycle and left out of Bhaktapur in the morning, headed East......the yellow road on the map was fine, albeit a little windy, and paved....just north of Panchkal I took that road in the white, headed north and figured I'd just do the loop back to Bhaktapur; took me about 6 hours  LOL......on a good road it would have been one or 2, but those curvy, high-altitude dirt roads were insanely bad. 

 

Most people just walk because the roads suck and frankly no one has enough green to own a bike or a car.

[JaiDee]

Took this photo while on that road.....too bad it was so cloudy,  but you can clearly see the Himalayas in the distance; I was probably 50 or 60 miles from Mt. Everest at this point.

 

  In my shadow you can see my winter hat and bulky clothes, it was bloody cold!  Probably 10C or so.

 

 

 

[JaiDee]

The scenery in that country is absolutely sublime.

 

The first one gives a slightly better view of Sagarmāthā, AKA the tallest mountain in the world.  If it wasn't so cloudy that day these pics would have been amazing.

 

 

[JaiDee]

When you get down in the valleys it gets much warmer and humid, in fact kind of sub-tropical. This would have been around the lovely village of Lalitpur.

 

You can easily go through all 4 seasons in one day.

[JaiDee]

Took this in Kathmandu; that white monument and the cool building behind it are now destroyed.

[JaiDee]

Bhaktapur, town center; that gray building in the middle is now gone.

 

I believe the 2 with the sloped roofs survived.

 

 

[JaiDee]

Looking from another direction.....so in this one, the gray building on the far left is now destroyed, and I know the one on the right with the elephants is gone as well.

 

Some of these destroyed buildings go back to the 1600's.