Virtual Earthquake Reconnaissance Team (VERT) Summary by Tracy Becker and Laura Whitehurst.
A structural engineering professor at Singapore’s Nanyang Technological Institute has been implementing a low-cost retrofit for schools in SE Asia.
“In Nepal, for instance, six school buildings which had their beam and column structures wrapped with low-cost materials like wire mesh and glass fibre withstood April’s 7.8-magnitude earthquake.
“Student Laxmi Thapa, 17, who studies at one of the schools – Kanya Mandir Higher Secondary School in Kathmandu – said her family of nine is staying at a temporary shelter there. Hers is among the 30 families there.
“‘After the earthquake, my family and others whose houses were not usable also used our school as a shelter. Our school is seismic resistant and we feel safe.’”
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 school buildings, especially those retrofitted or involved in mitigation programs pre-quake, from the April 25, 2015, Nepal Earthquake.
