Observations on House Safety Evaluations
Read the Report: House Performance Report (0.070 MB PDF)
A Look at Building Stock and Insurance Impacts
A seismogram at Heathcote Valley, which is located one kilometer from the epicenter, recorded PGA (Peak Ground Acceleration) as high as 1.4 g. However, while no complete collapses were observed, fallen chimneys were widespread. In the hillside town of Lyttleton, about four km away from the epicenter, except for the collapse of old masonry buildings and a […]
Report on Shelter Needs
Read the Report: Shelter report for the October 23 2011 Eastern Turkey Earthquake (1.54 MB PDF)
Lessons of the 2015 Nepal Earthquake Disaster
When the 7.8 Mw earthquake struck on 25 April 2015 (Saturday), the author was with his family at the Safari Narayani Hotel on the bank of the Rapti river bordering the Chitwan National Park in south Nepal. Although the ground shaking lasted there for more than one minute, it was relatively moderate and did not cause any visible […]
Housing in Nepal – A Brief Overview
The housing in Nepal has been classified into four categories on the basis of types of construction materials used in walls and roof of the residential house. These are permanent, Semi permanent, temporary and other types. Permanent (Pakki) house (Kayastha and Shreshtha, 2005) refers to that with both walls and roof made of permanent construction […]
News Articles Related to Housing in Nepal
Housing in Kathmandu, in Rural Nepal, and Vulnerability of Housing Housing in KathmanduNepal Earthquake Death Toll Surpasses 7,000Estimates that 150,000 dwellings collapsed in Nepal, 175 residential buildings in central KathmanduNepal Death Toll exceeds 6,000Drone footage of damage in Kathmandu, NepalHouses fell ‘like a pack of cards’ as earthquake struck, says Nepal bishopBuildings in Kathmandu, […]
Housing Damage Photos – Urban and Rural Areas
Housing Damage in Cities and Urban Areas Figure 1. Bhaktapur, Nepal (Source: Reuters) Figure 2. Katmandu, Nepal (Source: New York Times) Figure 3. Bhaktapur, Nepal (Source: Associated Press) […]
Housing Situation Summary
Housing Situation Summary Housing Damages According to the Government, the earthquake destroyed 160,786 houses and damaged 143,642 (as of 1 May, 16:30, UTC+5:45). The Government is currently projecting this caseload to increase to a total number of 500,000 houses destroyed. In comparison to data from the 1934 earthquake in Nepal-Bihar, the number of houses damaged in 2015 is […]
Nepal Building Code
Click here for the Nepal Building Code. Only three of 58 municipalities in Nepal have implemented the national building code into their permit processes. The greatest risk, historically, has been to non-engineered masonry structures. Curated topics from the April 25, 2015, Nepal Earthquake to help inform reconnaissance activities, identify impacted regions, and help document the timeline of earthquake […]
Video of Construction of a Stone House in Nepal
Construction of a house in Khumjung. Also check out the World Housing Encyclopedia’s stone tutorial and stone model shake table test. Curated topics from the April 25, 2015, Nepal Earthquake to help inform reconnaissance activities, identify impacted regions, and help document the timeline of earthquake response/recovery. Information on housing impacts from the April 25, 2015, Nepal Earthquake.