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  1. #1

    Default Devastation in Nepal!

    Having been to Nepal a few times, both this century and last, and an active member of whiteblaze, I was surprised to see no thread about the horrible earthquake and devastation going on there.
    As I know many experienced hikers from the US and whiteblaze have been to Nepal, I am sure there are thoughts and prayers of the many friends and Sherpas and good, humble Nepali people we have met there.

    I have 4 friends who were there 2 days ago during the earthquake and have just now heard from the last one, and they are all OK and 2 have now gotten out, one is at the airport and one lives there permanently and is helping out in downtown Kathmandu.

    I know it's hard to find reliable, aid organizations that don't siphon huge amounts of $ off the top, but here is a list of 7 vetted charities that should be trustworthy that are helping there now, in case you want to help:

    Here is a picture of downtown Kathmandu from one of my trips 10 years ago
    nepal 2004 057.jpg
    From pics I'm seeing online, I'm sure it doesn't look like that now.
    Don't let your fears stand in the way of your dreams

  2. #2

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    What can be said? It's just so staggering. The quake ran a fault 100 km long and moved Katmandu 3 meters south. It may have made the mountains a bit higher too. Major after shocks could continue for months. The full magnitude of this disaster will take a while to sink in as more info slowly comes out.
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  3. #3
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    So sick to hear about this earthquake and the devastation it has brought to this poor nation full of wonderful humble people. I was in Nepal back in 2000 for a trek and met so many wonderful people, Nepali and Tibetan. They are all in my thoughts. So horrible.
    Happy Lifetime Sectioner!

  4. #4

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    Having trekked there a few times, I am envisioning the trekking trails destroyed, with no way out.
    Hikers are probably going to have to survive on the food and water they can get wherever they are until helicopter rescue.
    I am guessing it's going to take months or even years to rebuild the treacherous trails.
    I am sure there are many trekkers stranded out there.
    I don't know snow conditions in the higher elevations.
    I have a good friend who just got back today and I hope to see her soon to find out.
    She was actually on her way to the airport when the quake hit.
    Don't let your fears stand in the way of your dreams

  5. #5

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    Here's a report from some trekkers on the Everest trek, still up in Lukla waiting to get flown out.
    Town is tiny and gets quite crowded whenever weather goes bad, trekkers waiting for planes and helicopters:
    http://www.thephuketnews.com/exclusi...epal-52085.php
    Don't let your fears stand in the way of your dreams

  6. #6

    Default

    Thanks for all the updates fiddlehead, appreciate it, been following this story as well.

  7. #7

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    Having trekked there in 1983 and 1997 I can imagine the problems of this happening in the middle of the Spring trekking/mountaineering season. As a geologist I understand that earthquakes are to be expected in Nepal, as the Indian subcontinent continues being forces into Eurasia by the process of ocean spreading in the Indian ocean. It's going to hurt Nepals's economy, inasmuch as it is largely based on tourism and I can't imagine going there on vacation for a long time.

  8. #8
    Registered User Driver8's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by RockDoc View Post
    Having trekked there in 1983 and 1997 I can imagine the problems of this happening in the middle of the Spring trekking/mountaineering season. As a geologist I understand that earthquakes are to be expected in Nepal, as the Indian subcontinent continues being forces into Eurasia by the process of ocean spreading in the Indian ocean. It's going to hurt Nepals's economy, inasmuch as it is largely based on tourism and I can't imagine going there on vacation for a long time.
    That will depend, in part, on ho badly the trails and road are devastated. I hope that rebuilding aid will be as generous as possible.
    The more miles, the merrier!

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  9. #9

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    I see in today's news, up to 150 hikers (trekkers) possibly dead in one town alone!!!
    Langtang: a town I went through on my first trek to Nepal back in '88.

    http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-32595883
    Don't let your fears stand in the way of your dreams

  10. #10

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    http://news.yahoo.com/warning-nepal-...192603261.html


    Excerpt:

    The devastating earthquake that struck Nepal in April released only a fraction of the energy still trapped in the underlying fault, meaning the area has the potential to host another large earthquake in the future, researchers say.



    In April, a magnitude-7.8 earthquake struck 50 miles (80 kilometers) northwest of Nepal's capital of Kathmandu, killing more than 9,000 people and flattening entire villages. Geologists thought this quake originated on the Main Himalayan Thrust.


    "The Main Himalayan Thrust is a fault that has produced large earthquakes every century or so," said study lead author Jean-Philippe Avouac, a geophysicist at the University of Cambridge in England. "Nepal lost two kings to these quakes, one in 1255, another in 1344. The last large earthquake to hit Nepal, a magnitude-8.2 earthquake in 1934, destroyed Kathmandu, as did a magnitude-7.6 earthquake in 183." [Nepal Earthquake Photos: Odd Effects of Kathmandu Temblor]


    Scientists think major earthquakes happen at faults or cracks in the earth when rocks that are locked in place slip, releasing accumulated stress in a catastrophic manner. To investigate how much energy of the Main Himalayan Thrust had been unlocked during the April quake — and how much had not, holding the potential to burst with a major earthquake in the future — seismologists analyzed the effects of the disaster using seismometers on the ground and radar images taken by satellites in space.


    The researchers found the quake spread eastward at speeds of about 6,700 mph (10,800 km/h), traveling a distance of about 87 miles (140 km), "unzipping the lower edge of the locked portion of the Main Himalayan Thrust fault over which the Himalayas were built," said Avouac, who, along with colleagues, detailed the findings online today (Aug. 6) in the journal Nature Geoscience.


    This earthquake "was actually relatively small," Avouac said. "Although it was certainly a tragedy, with close to 10,000 people killed, it's not in the family of the very large earthquakes this area can see."

  11. #11
    Aspiring Thru-Hiker g00gle's Avatar
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    Still time left to help out...

    https://www.zombiehunters.org/?q=nepal2015

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