Earthquake Engineering Research Institute
Learning From Earthquakes

Mesh over mud brick wall retrofit strategy for Nepal

  One retrofit strategy for non-engineered masonry structures in rural Nepal uses polypropylene packaging strap mesh on the exterior of mud brick structural walls, as investigated by Joshua Macabuag, Ramesh Guragain, and Subhamoy Bhattacharya. With the additional of mesh, larger deformations can be sustained by walls, thus lowering the collapse risk. Compressive and shaking table […]

Historic Earthquakes in Nepal – Reconnaissance Reports

  Reconnaissance Reports 1934 Nepal–Bihar earthquake Bihar, India – Nepal1934 January 15 08:43 UTCMagnitude 8.110,700 deaths. Extreme damage (X) in the Sitamarhi-Madhubani, India area, where most buildings tilted or sank up to 1 m (3 ft) into the thick alluvium. Sand covered the sunken floors up to 1 m deep. This liquefaction damage extended eastward […]

Video of Building Damages – With Locations

Video of Building Damages after the Earthquake – Locations Identified   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.

Ready to Use Guideline for Details of Low Rise Reinforced Concrete Buildings without Masonry Infill from the Nepal Building Code

  There has been a proliferation of reinforced concrete (RC) framed buildings constructed in the urban and semi-urban areas of Nepal in the last 35 years. Most of these buildings have relied on little seismic design considerations. The RUD Guideline presents ready-to-use designs intended for non-professional laborers to use when constructing structural as well as […]

News Articles from May 1 to May 6, 2015 on Housing in Nepal

  Media resources: KathmanduMore than a thousand engineers inspect quake-damaged buildings in Nepal’s capitalMost buildings in Kathmandu deemed uninhabitable or unsafe following quakeNepal’s Fast Urbanization and Lax Enforcement Add to Quake’s TollAmid Katmandu’s Earthquake Wreckage, Hints of a Shift to Safer ConstructionRich NRIs to build earthquake resistant houses in Nepal Rural Nepal160,786 Houses Destroyed in […]

Photos of Damage to Houses in Nepal

Photos of Damage to Hhouses in Nepal. Figure 1. Rural Nepal. Source: Tom Newby. Figure 2. Rural Nepal. Source: Tom Newby.         Figure 3. Rural Nepal. Source: Tom Newby. Figure 4. Melamchi. Source: Tom Newby.         Figure 5. Melamchi. Source: Tom Newby. Figure 6. Rural Nepal. Source: Tom Newby.         Figure […]

Estimate of population directly affected by destroyed houses – May 6

Estimate of population directly affected by destroyed houses (6 May 2015).The numbers here should be seen as indicative only. Analysis based on an estimate of the number of buildings destroyed (not including government buildings) and the average number of people per household in each district (source).  Figure. Estimate of population directly affected by destroyed houses – […]

Housing Situation Assessment – May 8

New Government figures as of 6 May (20:00, UTC +5:45) show that the number of houses destroyed in the earthquake-affected districts is at least twice as high as previously reported; 284,455 houses have now been confirmed destroyed and another 234,102 damaged (OCHA).According to OCHA assessment cell‟s initial estimates, based on Government data, the highest rates of destruction and damage […]

Photos of Damage to Houses due to May 12 Shaking

People walk along the debris of the collapsed houses after a fresh 7.3-magnitude earthquake struck Nepal on May 12, 2015.   Figure 1. Location: Katmandu, Nepal (NDTV). Figure 2. Location: Katmandu, Nepal (Photo/Bikram Rai).         Figure 3. (NSET). Figure 4. (Twitter).         Figure 5. Location: Katmandu, Nepal (Associated Press). Figure 6. Sankhu area […]

Reconstruction Ordinance

  The government is preparing to issue an ordinance to form a high-level committee to undertake post-earthquake reconstruction projects. (Nepali Times) Government spokesman Minendra Rijal said an Ordinance on Authority for Reconstruction of the Structures Damaged by Earthquake has been forwarded to President Ram Baran Yadav for endorsement. According to Minister for General Administration Lal […]