Nepal: Focus on disaster preparedness increases

A significant improvment has been made in the Kathmandu Valley in the preparedness for seismic risks since the 2011 earthquake in the Kathmandu Valley, reports the Republica. Increased coordination among the municipalities, training programs for masons and volunteers, earthquake drills for schools, observing building code, particularly when constructing hospitals and schools are just a few of the measures that have been taken since.

“We are making plans under a multi-step strategy to respond to hazard. The first one is to check the risk, and second is to reduce risk, make people aware and develop community groups for immediate response," said hadga Sen Oli, advocacy officer at the National Society for Earthquake Technology-Nepal.