The earthquake that struck Nepal on April 25th has caused terrible tragedy to befall a beautiful, historic nation.
At the time of writing, news reports are of over 2000 deaths. This number is sure to rise because communication in Nepal is difficult, the cellular networks are down or intermittent. Many buildings are just piles of rubble and it is unknown how many victims are buried in some of these. Many hundreds of villages spread throughout the country have suffered building collapses and none of these have even been reported yet. The hospitals that are undamaged are full. There are many gravely injured people being cared for as best they can be. Many Nepalis spent the night outside last night. Camped in make-shift tents or huddled together, too afraid to return to their homes as aftershocks continued to shake the Kathmandu Valley.
Nepal is not a rich country. It has struggled to build 21st century infrastructure. The roads are potholed and congested. The water system in Kathmandu is over burdened and broken. The electricity system has been using rolling blackouts for years to try to cope with the demand that far outstrips the supply. For years Nepal has had building codes that require all new buildings to be “earthquake proof”, but these codes are never enforced and poor quality buildings have been built for many decades. All these things and others will contribute to making this disaster an untold tragedy. Untold, because in a few days the world’s media will move on to the next story and Nepal, a small, quiet country in the middle of Asia, will disappear from the headlines and the enormous humanitarian and structural aid effort that must begin now, will occur out of sight of CNN’s cameras.
China will be there. For years the Chinese government has been courting influence in Nepal by providing resources to build roads and bridges to increase trade with China. They will see this as an opportunity to further their standing and help in a time of need. India will be there. The vast majority of the population of Nepal are of Indian descent. Nepal has been closely allied with India for generations. Will Europe respond? Will the US? In the West we can send billions of dollars of aid money to countries like Pakistan, Afghanistan or Iraq. Money and resources to help nations that are of strategic importance. Nepal is not of strategic importance, unless you are talking about our humanity. Nepal needs our help now and they will need it for the next decade or longer.