We were on the third floor of a building in Bagbazar, one of the crowded areas of Kathmandu. My colleague yelled, 'Gayo, Gayo, (it's gone), everything is fine', while the earth was still trembling in fury. 'I wish', I murmured, that was the last thing I would have liked to believe. This is it, I convinced myself.A scene from the Hollywood movie Avengers: Age of Ultron where the buildings crumble and the land mass rises against gravity popped in my mind. The timing couldn't have been better, as the shaking refused to stop. Another colleague started crying out of fear while leaning on me. I couldn't assure her that everything would be fine. We were facing the staircase and I vividly remember the sight of some senior lawyers and auditors from the fifth floor, sprinting down the stairs. I was worried because the staircase is apparently the weakest structure of a building.
Despite being explained a million times that running is not safe, I'm the type that cannot help but run out of the building into the open as soon as I sense tremors. Although the popular measure to stay safe is drop, cover and hold on, my instant reaction is to take flight. So there I was standing, feeling trapped and waiting for the building to free fall. After the tremors reduced we all ran downstairs. I heard my sister screaming from behind, 'Run faster'. We ran behind and stood under the tinned roof of an old printing press.
A day before the earthquake, while I was at work, I realized the need to identify a safe space in the office. Given a chance to escape from the building, running all the way to the main road was not an option. The lane was too narrow and buildings overcrowded. I inspected the buildings from all the sides including the one behind. Then I identified a tinned area of the printing press and estimated that the space was safe in case any of the surrounding buildings fell. Few told me that the shock lasted for a minute, others said less than two minutes. I couldn't recall.
Although this was the second big earthquake that had struck Kathmandu, I was more scared of this one than the first. I was home on the first floor when the first one had struck. I quickly ran downstairs. I failed to unlock the main door which was jammed because of the good shake. I heard my helper from the other end screaming that the kitchen door was jammed. We were both lucky as we managed to unlock and run out in the open. Despite the feeling of fear, I somehow felt safe. But with this strong aftershock, I got a taste of what many in Nepal must have experienced.
This entire mentally and physically draining exercise will remain one of our most harrowing experiences. However, the series of earthquakes has taught me a lesson of a lifetime—the importance of disaster preparedness. I'm much more cautious now. When I enter any room, I plan my exit and enquire about the nearest open space. When I'm on the top floor, I find a safe spot. When I'm walking alone or travelling, I avoid high rise buildings or even parking near them.
In managing disaster, the school has a critical role in building community resilience and emergency preparedness. It is good that recently many schools have started providing disaster preparedness lessons. But in reality, it is very hard to practically implement it. I was listening to the radio program where a student mentioned about a teacher providing practical classes on drop, cover and hold to remain safe as well as the importance of carrying a go-bag at all times. Unfortunately, when the earthquake struck, the teacher was the first one to flee.
Therefore, there is no guarantee that any safe behaviors during an earthquake be it drop, cover and hold on or triangle of life will assure people's safety. Depending upon the situation, one needs to be able to decide whether you need to go out immediately if you are on the ground floor or stay inside doing Drop, Cover and Hold if you are on the upper floors. The most appropriate safety measure has to be decided depending upon the situation.
Disaster Preparedness is a part of the effort to anticipate and manage disaster in order to reduce its impacts. Realizing the importance of a holistic view on disaster preparedness, it is evident that the effort to build the same in our country does not solely rest in the hands of the government. Each and everyone, be it family members, colleagues, or schools, need to be involved as responsible citizens in creating emergency preparedness and being informed about planned actions.
Let's remind ourselves that communication and preparation are keys to addressing a disaster. Every individual should effectively transfer information, knowledge and skills and incorporate risk reduction in their daily lives. Let's support each other to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain and improve our capability to prepare, respond, recover and mitigate all hazards.
The author is a Jawaharlal Nehru Graduate
shristi.j@gmail.com
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