Nepal Earthquake Reconnaissance Team Report is now available
A new special report, EERI Earthquake Reconnaissance Team Report: M7.8 Gorkha, Nepal Earthquake on April 25, 2015 and its Aftershocks, is now available for download at the Nepal Earthquake virtual clearinghouse website:
The 185-page report describes the findings of a multidisciplinary reconnaissance team sent by EERI’s Learning from Earthquakes program from May 31-June 7, 2015. The thirteen-member international team studied preparedness steps Nepal had taken prior to the event, the extent of damage caused by the earthquake series, and the unfolding process of recovery. Working in partnership with Nepal’s National Society for Earthquake Technology (NSET), team members coordinated with nearly thirty other reconnaissance efforts.
The report’s chapter topics include seismology and geotechnical issues; damage to lifelines, buildings, and Nepal’s cultural monuments; building code issues; emergency response and post-earthquake safety evaluations; seismic retrofitting; social, psychological, and cultural factors; and EERI’s new initiatives to document information with remote curators and reconnaissance team collaborators.
Bret Lizundia (M. EERI, 1992), co-leader of the EERI team, said that the report “is a comprehensive, multidisciplinary, detailed look at the story of the earthquakes and what we can learn about what works and what needs improvements. There are lessons not just for Nepal and the surrounding region, but also for all countries faced with earthquake threats.”
The Nepal Earthquake virtual clearinghouse website features additional collected information, photos, a data map, and an extensive set of video briefings by reconnaissance team members: http://www.eqclearinghouse.org/2015-04-25-nepal/