Nepal: it didn’t need to be this bad

We all knew the earthquake would come eventually. Nepal is in a seismically active area and experts have been warning of a major seismic shock for many years.

But, despite many predictions and all this knowledge, the earthquake has caused devastation for millions of people.

The death toll continues to climb. People are sleeping outside either because their homes have been destroyed or because the continuing aftershocks make poorly built homes more vulnerable and people don’t want to take the risk.

In many ways, the Nepalese recovery operation looks promising. Rubble removal started immediately, public information officials gave out helpful information about evacuation and shelter, and the pre-positioned government plan swung into action.

But in Nepal, buildings fell because they weren’t designed to resist earthquakes. In many parts of the world, building standards are unheard of or ignored. And we saw the effect of that in Kathmandu when the earthquake hit.

It’s a very densely populated city, with crowded cafés, shops and office buildings. Any building that collapses will inevitably hit lots of people.

The Indian region of Bihar, which was also hit by last weekend’s earthquake, has suffered repeated floods in recent years that have killed thousands of people. Our response there, as in many places, has been not only to help people recover from the disaster in which they find themselves but also to reduce the impact of the next one when it strikes.

There are simple things people can do to protect themselves. First Aid training, evacuation drills, safe storage of survival kits and salvage tools, and monitoring weather forecasts are among the many ways people can prepare for emergencies.

But those interventions depend on a number of things. They only work if they’re funded properly and delivered at local community level.

In our disaster risk reduction work, we partner with local community organisations - such as churches - because we find that they’re best placed to understand local needs and to communicate effectively with people most in need of help.

But for the long term, the only way to make a country truly resilient is for the decision-makers in that country to make it a priority.

Without effective regulation and monitoring of building standards, good education systems that emphasise evacuation and survival skills, and decent infrastructure so that rescue workers can travel easily, a country will never be strong enough to withstand a major natural disaster.

It needs long-term commitment from everyone involved in development – voluntary organisations, governments and private investors.

There’s a lot we can do from here, and we will. There’s a lot local communities can do, especially as first responders in a disaster.

But there’s a lot that the authorities in Nepal need to do as well. There’s a political deadlock over agreeing the constitution at the moment, and so it won’t be easy for them to make the necessary decisions and carry them out.

Our hope and prayer is that this earthquake will serve as a sad, timely reminder that prevention is better than cure, and that good governance can save lives.

David Bainbridge is international director of the Evangelical charity Tearfund

Above: Survivors on the outskirts of Kathmandu retrieve belongings from their destroyed homes. Photo: CNS/Anto Akkara