NEWS: Don't Wait for Disaster to Strike
DATE: May 7, 2015 | 12:30 p.m. EDT
The number of victims continues increasing upon the earthquake measuring
7.8 that struck Nepal on Saturday April 25th. According to Asian police
sources, the death toll already stands at over 4,300 people and other 8,000
injured.[i]
It’s been a few weeks after the earthquake, yet, the affected communities
don´t have light or potable water most of the day, the internet is intermittent,
the phone lines are working but apparently they can´t receive phone calls, only
text messages. Since that day, people in Nepal who can communicate via social
networks like Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp and Viber, say that there are
frequent aftershocks almost as strong as an earthquake, which further damage the
remains of buildings already affected.
Unfortunately, they can´t say the worst is over, because the worst is yet
to come. There is a larger need of food and water in a city that already had shortages
of water, electricity, gasoline and shortages of some foods. Overall, the
outlook is not encouraging.
Not only houses and lives were destroyed and lost. Many monuments and cultural
heritage of UNESCO, such as their temples, their history, and their cultural
patrimony were destroyed. All this collapsed in the 40 seconds that the
earthquake lasted.
The government does what they can, and international aid arrives. With the
political instability of recent years, people in Nepal knows they must help
each other and not depend on government. The sense of community in this
Himalayan country is enormous. Nepalese are generous and respectful, so
spiritual that their culture will be the focus of their strength to move
forward.
People in Kathmandu, the capital city, feel lucky. Lucky to be alive,
because their relatives and close friends are physically well, and because that
tragedy did not happen in the monsoon, winter, on weekdays when children go to
school, or at night when people are sleeping at home. In a way, everything
could be worse.
Now comes the hard part, which is to rebuild a nation's life with so
little. As a Nepali said: "We did it once (referring to the earthquake of
1934) and will do it again. The most important thing is that we are alive.”[ii]
During periods of natural catastrophe comes in place the ideology of
cultural relativism. Where other, healthier and economically stable, nations come
forward to help. Upon the damage, the United States dispatched a disaster response
team and $1 million to aid the circumstances.[iii]
Even though, other nations could look the other way and declare themselves
unable to cooperate, the ethical beliefs and human relations don’t allow us to
be so indifferent to the mishap of others. Perhaps, one hopes that when times
are rough, that in a way or another there is a remote nation, lending a helping
hand, to overcome the disaster and move to greater things.
[i] Gayle, D. (2015, May 5). Number of Nepal earthquake victims from
abroad still unknown. Retrieved May 10, 2015, from
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/may/05/numbers-of-nepal-earthquake-victims-from-abroad-still-unknown
[ii] Ravilious, K. (2015, April 27). Nepal quake 'followed historic
pattern' - BBC News. Retrieved May 10, 2015, from
http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-32472310
[iii] U.S. Sending Aid to Help With Nepal Earthquake. (2015, April 25).
Retrieved May 10, 2015, from
http://www.usnews.com/news/politics/articles/2015/04/25/us-sending-disaster-response-team-1-million-aid-to-nepal
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