Nepal, One Year After the Earthquake

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One year after the 7.8-magnitude earthquake, the people of Nepal are on the way to recovery, and the U.S. is proud to be a partner in the relief and recovery efforts.

Transcript: On April 25, 2015 a 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck the Gorkha District in central Nepal. The earthquake and aftershocks caused nearly 9,000 casualties and left 22,000 injured. 3.5 million Nepali were left homeless. One year later the people of Nepal are on the way to recovery and the U.S. is proud to be a partner in the relief and recovery efforts. New and innovative technologies were deployed to aid the people of Nepal in their rescue and recovery efforts immediately following the earthquake.

  • Facebook's Safety Check allows users to see who among their friends are near a natural disaster and whether or not they have checked-in as safe.
  • FINDER, a suitcase-sized device developed by the U.S. Government, can detect heartbeats through up to 30 feet of rubble. In one instance, FINDER was able to locate four men trapped inside a collapsed factory in the village of Chautara.
  • Drones were used to survey and assess damage in hard-to-reach areas affected by the earthquake. There are plans in the future to outfit these drones to carry food and medicine to areas that are cut off from supply routes.

These emerging technologies have only just started to make a difference in disaster relief and will be vital to future recovery efforts. #WeStandWithNepal

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