Nepal earthquake: 10 years on...
On 25 April 2015, a terrible earthquake struck Nepal. 10 years later, HI looks back at an extraordinary emergency response and a commitment that continues to this day.
A woman impacted in Bhaktapur in front of the ruins of their house. Many houses and buildings collapsed. Several thousand people were killed in the disaster. | © ADH /Timm Schamberger
Kathmandu, 25 April 2015. At 11.56 AM the earth shook. In a matter of seconds, a violent 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck Nepal. The country was devastated. More than 8,000 dead, and 22,000 injured, millions of people affected.
HI, one of the first NGOs to intervene on the ground
Present in Nepal since 1996, HI was one of the first NGOs to intervene after the earthquake. Just a few hours after the disaster, the first teams were mobilised. Among them was Pauline Falipou, HI emergency rehabilitation specialist who had just returned from a mission in Iraq:
"I was supposed to go home to see my family. Instead, I took a flight to Kathmandu. We landed in a city in ruins, with collapsed houses and people living in makeshift shelters because their homes had been destroyed. We slept in tents in the office garden, with the Nepalese staff and their families. There were aftershocks, the earth still shook at night".
There are ambulances everywhere. Overcrowded hospitals are flooded with injured people, many of whom are unable to move. Fractures, amputations, spinal cord injuries, etc. HI mobilises its teams of physiotherapists and occupational therapists to initiate the first rehabilitation sessions and provide mobility aids (crutches, wheelchairs, etc.).
"When we arrive at one of the city's hospitals, there are 500 people lying in the corridors... they look haggard, stunned by the shock... And our aim is really to say 'action'. Action so that they can get back on their feet," explains Pauline Falipou, HI's emergency rehabilitation specialist.
"In Nuwakot, the only hospital has collapsed".
HI teams quickly decided to leave the capital to assess needs and provide assistance to earthquake victims in more remote areas, where access to care was difficult. This is how Pauline Falipou and her colleagues came to Nuwakot, three hours from Kathmandu. Pauline Falipou remembers the only collapsed hospital and the field hospital, under tents, set up in a hurry:
"I remember this little boy who had a broken leg. We gave him his first crutches, he was able to stand up again, and his smile came back, and his mum was really happy too. We set off again, the event was over, it was a shock. But life goes on, and we're back on track.
More than 19,000 people supported
In total, HI conducted tens of thousands of rehabilitation and psychological support sessions, accompanied more than 19,000 injured people, and provided more than 7,000 mobility aids. In addition to providing care, HI also supported the families affected:
- More than 4,300 emergency kits (tents, cooking utensils, etc.) distributed to more than 2,200 families,
- 1,500 households supported to restart a professional activity (livestock farming, trade, etc.),
- Distribution of warm clothing and blankets to more than 9,000 people in the middle of winter 2015,
- Transport and storage of more than 5,400 tonnes of humanitarian supplies to the most isolated rural areas.
Helping people to prepare for disasters
For several years, HI has been involved in disaster risk reduction, particularly for the most vulnerable populations. The aim is to involve people with disabilities in identifying risks and creating warning systems and evacuation plans.
Until 2025, HI was still supporting 5 rehabilitation centres in the areas worst affected by the earthquake. Unfortunately, following the freezing and halting of humanitarian aid funding by the US administration, the project was closed.
"Whether in Nepal ten years ago or in Myanmar today, we must not forget these most vulnerable people. They are at the heart of what we do", says Pauline Falipou.
