By Puru Shah, edited by Anu Joshi

As the sun sets and darkness ensues, most creatures seek refuge in the safety of their home, den, nest, burrow or crevice. There is one creature in particular that continues its forage unperturbed. Despite its diminutive size, it uses darkness as an opportunity to create its own light. They are commonly known as fireflies. In Nepali, we call them Junkiris.

There are several such Junkiris in Nepal that caught my attention after the disastrous earthquakes struck the Himalayan nation. These Junkiris glow brightly in the darkness created by the inaction or a lack of swift response by the Nepali government. They sprang to aid the affected and continue to deliver their services or relief materials despite the lack of good roads, transportation or support from the national authorities. They used their literary, technical or financial prowess for aid. They deserve our due respect and recognition for their remarkable work.

Several of them and their stories have been included on our #InspireNepal page. This is not an exhaustive list. Send us names and descriptions of work done by Junkiris you have witnessed. If they are not included in this post, we will attempt to include it in Part II.

Vist our #InspireNepal page for more inspiring stories. Please send us your inspiring stories to our Twitter, Facebook or Google doc by using #InspireNepal.

Individual Junkiris

1. Kunda Dixit - Editor at Nepali Times
   He is a well-known local journalist who uses his Twitter account to rapidly share important and relevant updates. Follow him on Twitter. Also, read his articles, Lessons from Sichuan and more on his blog, East West with Kunda Dixit
2. Anup Kaphle - Foreign Editor at Buzzfeed
   He has shown the impact good journalism can have. His stories related to the earthquake in Nepal are laudable. Follow him on Twitter and read his two stories,  How Helicopters Are Helping – And Hampering – Aid Relief In Nepal and A New Generation Takes The Lead In Nepal’s Disaster Relief
3. Prabal Gurung - Nepali Fashion Designer
   Gurung is a famous New York based designer who has used his fame and connections to raise money on crowdfunding platform, Crowdrise. The current tally stands at $571,00 and its still rising. He has pledged to donate funds through a charity he is associated to - Shikshya Foundation Nepal.
4. Upendra Mahato - Non-Resident Nepali and Businessman
   Mahato has pledged to donate Rs. 150 million towards the relief and reconstruction. Rs. 30 million will be spent on relief and the remaining Rs. 120 million will be spent for rehabilitation work through Phul Kumari Mahato Memorial Trust. Read more on #InspireNepal
5. Chaudhary Family - Nepali Business Conglomerate
   Through their Chaudhary Foundation, the billionaire duo is contributing $2.5 million in efforts to reconstruct 100 schools and 10,000 houses. The Foundation will cover the cost of 1,000 homes and raise money from other wealthy donors for the remaining 9,000 units.
6. Sri Prakash Lohiya - Non-Resident Indian and Businessman
   NRI Shree Prakash Lohia has also offered to build 200 houses through his Lohia Foundation. Read more on #InspireNepal
7. Mukesh Kumar Sehgal - NRI and Businessman
   Mukesh Kumar Sehgal, managing director of UK-based SISMO Company, offered 1,000 quake-resistant houses. Read more on #InspireNepal

Groups of Junkiris

1. Nepal Army, Nepal Police, Nepal Armed Police
   They have worked tirelessly in search & rescue efforts along international teams and delivered relief materials to the affected ones. Both Nepal Police and Armed Police have donated a portion of their salaries to Nepal's PM Disaster Relief Fund. Read more on #InspireNepal
2. Bibeksheel Nepali
   They are technically a political party in Nepal. But given the tainted perception of political parties in Nepal, I view them as a political force comprised of young visionaries who are dedicated to improving the country. They have mobilized thousands of youths, and delivered relief materials to remote villages of Nepal. Read more on their website Bibeksheel Nepali, Facebook or our blog article.
3. Yellow House Group
   This venue in Kathmandu has become an unofficial hub for digital and physical volunteers to assemble before heading out with relief materials for distribution to various parts of Nepal. Read more in a Guardian article by Carole Cadwalladr. If you are in Nepal and would like to volunteer, please contact The Yellow House, Sanepa, 9741311750
4. Pulchowk Engineering Students
   The engineering students have begun building low-cost homes using materials salvaged from the rubble. Read more on #InspireNepal
5. Society of Ex-Budhanilkantha School (SEBS) Students
   SEBS, a 501c(3) non-profit with a long history of completed projects and a featured NGO on our donate page has delivered relief materials to several affected remote districts such as Sindhupalchowk, Gorkha and Dolakha. A geo-tagged map of their completed projects can be seen on this SEBS NA 2015 Earthquake Relief Fund page. Read more on their Facebook page.
6. Kathmandu Living Labs
   KLL, created by Nama Raj Budhathoki is mapping hundreds of earthquake related reports. Read more on #InspireNepal

Artistic Junkiris

1. Sajjan Raj Vaidya - See his inspiring video on #InspireNepal
2. Gaurav Dagaonkar - See his inspiring video on #InspireNepal
3. Anonmyous Time-lapse Sketch Artist - See his inspiring video on #InspireNepal

Other Individual Junkiris

1. Dr. Fahim Rahim
   Dr. Rahim traveled with his family from Idaho, US to Nepal to provide medical treatment. His team hiked three days to setup a medical clinic in Haku-9 near Solukhumbu region and treated more than 400 people. He also used his personal funds to rent a helicopter to deliver food and supplies to remote mountainous villages, inaccessible by ground transport. Read more updates on his Facebook.
2. Bipin Gaire
   Gaire founded the website Bhukampa.net (earthquake). He and eight others have amassed a network of more than 350 volunteer engineers who are carrying out visual assessments of homes, schools, and other buildings to determine whether or not the structures are safe or need to be torn down. Read more on Al Jazeera.
3. Lokesh & Aditya Todi
   The Todi cousins have raised close to $150,000 using the fundraising platform, Indiegogo Life. They post regular updates about their relief activities to keep their funders informed.
4. Avinash K. Gurung
   A team of volunteers led by Avinash K. Gurung have completed several cleaning campaigns in Kathmandu and delivered relief materials. Read more on #InspireNepal
5. Rijan Lal Mulmi
   He is an environmental management student and member of Earthquake Action Nepal. He is producing hand sanitizer that's being dispatched across the country to places where there's a water shortage. Read more on Al Jazeera.
6. Brabim Kumar
   Brabim Kumar, president of the Association of Youth Organisations Nepal, has mobilized around 1,000 self-motivated youth volunteers who are assisting in quake relief. Read more on Al Jazeera.
7. Milan Rai
   An artist who has constructed about 120 toilets in the Kathmandu Valley and in Sindhupalchowk district assisted by a team of volunteers. Read more on Al Jazeera.
8. Jimi Prem Karthak
   He is owner of The Lunch Box café in Kathmandu. The café has provided local orphanages with cooked meals on Saturdays since February, but since the earthquake its volunteers have been cooking daily and delivering food to as many as 10 orphanages. Read more on Al Jazeera.
9. Parakram Singh Yonzon
   He runs Earthquake Volunteers Control Centre with a team of volunteers. The group set up an information centre and now runs aid missions into remote parts of the country. Read more on Al Jazeera.
10. Kishor Pradhan
    He has posted stories on his Facebook account of his team delivering drinking water tanks to Baruwa VDC in Helambu region among others. Read more on his Facebook.
11. Ravi Nepal
    He is the founder of Code for Nepal and has created a Google document with resources that was among the first documents to be widely shared after the earthquake had struck. Follow him on Twitter for updates and read more on #InspireNepal
12. Dilliraj Poudel
    He was the primary force behind creating a Google spreadsheet that lists major fundraising campaigns, their beneficiaries, processing fees, emergency contact information and others. This document has been widely shared. He continues to create more Google documents in collaboration with others. See our Collaborate page for his documents and others.
13. Joanna Lumley
    British actress Lumley, whose father was a Gurkha soldier, appeared in a televised appeal for donations to aid the earthquake victims of Nepal. In collaboration with Gurkha campaigners, she raised more than £33m from the Britons. These funds will be channeled via Disasters Emergency Committee (UK) and United Nations's emergency appeal. Read more on Daily Mail.

Other Groups of Junkiris

1. Humanity Road
   Source of disaster preparedness and response information. See Resources.
2. Ushahidi
   Supporting Online Volunteer Response to the Nepal Earthquake. See Resources.
3. Team Jaswant
   #TeamJaswant is a stellar example of the grass-root relief efforts taking place all over Nepal. They have been raising funds and supplying aid to rural parts of Nepal. It was initiated by Jaswant Dev Shrestha. Read more on #InspireNepal
4. Katuwal Grill Udhyog
   This business has pledged to construct temporary homes for quake victims using corrugated metal and metal pipes at the cost price of Rs. 25,000. Read more here.

By Saugat Kandel

April 25: The Gorkha Earthquake

On April 25, a magnitude 7.8 earthquake hit Nepal with Gorkha as the epicenter - killing more than 8,000 people, injuring more than 19,000 people, destroying nearly 300,000 houses, and displacing about 2 million people in its wake. This earthquake literally changed the shape of the earth, raising the landmass around Kathmandu by up to 1.4 meters, while lowering the landmass around the mountainous region. The sudden, violent movements in the earth's crust caused major landslides in parts of Gorkha, Dhading, Nuwakot, Rasuwa, Sindhupalchok, Dolakha, Ramechhap, and Kavre. These movements also significantly loosened up the soil in the affected areas, and consequently escalated the risk of landslides with the imminent monsoon season.

Ground displacement after the April 25 earthquake. Source: NASA Earth Observatory

May 12: The Kodari Earthquake - an aftershock?

The April 25 earthquake was followed by a subsequent earthquake on May 12 of magnitude 7.3, with its epicenter 18 km SE of Kodari. While the Kodari quake was clearly a consequence of the first, most likely caused by the redistribution of the stress on the tectonic plates, it was not an aftershock - the epicenter of this quake was 90 miles East of the epicenter of the Gorkha quake, just outside the ruptures caused on April 25. This quake caused its own ruptures, distinctly separate from the ruptures due to the Gorkha quake.

What are aftershocks anyway?

Aftershocks are earthquakes that follow a major earthquake, in the same ruptures in the tectonic plate as caused by the first earthquake. Aftershocks are normal occurrences after major quakes, and are expected to decrease in frequency and magnitude in the days and weeks after the major quake. Even if the earthquake near Kodari is considered an aftershock, it was clearly an outlier in this regard. The probability of this event occurring was less than 1 in 200.

Will there be more aftershocks?

While it is not yet possible to predict the exact timing or location of an earthquake, it is, however, possible to estimate the probable number and magnitude of aftershocks in the time period following an earthquake. The U.S. Geological Survey has provided such an estimate for the week subsequent to May 12. For the week of May 13 to May 19, the USGS estimates:

• The chances of a 5-6 magnitude earthquake is 80%.  0 to 4 such earthquakes may occur.
• The chances of a 6-7 magnitude earthquake is 15%, or 1 in 6. While there has already been a 6.3 magnitude earthquake, it does not mean that another such earthquake will not occur.
• The chances of a 7-7.8 earthquake is about 1%, or 1 in 100. Again, this low probability does not exclude the possibility of such an earthquake. 
• The chances of an earthquake larger than 7.8 is less than 1 in 300. 
• While the larger earthquakes are less probable, it is essential that any decisions taken keep in mind that the larger earthquakes are still possible, and can cause catastrophic damage if not prepared for.

Mitigating the risks posed by the aftershocks

To mitigate the risks posed by the aftershocks, the One Stop Portal team recommends that everyone in the affected area check their places of work or residence for structural damage before choosing to return there. We also recommend that everyone have an emergency kit  ready both at home and at work, just in case an earthquake strikes again.

What about landslides?

In a mountainous country like Nepal, any earthquake can significantly loosen the soil and weaken the slopes of the hills and the mountains, thereby greatly increasing the risk of landslides. The earthquake near Gorkha caused extensive shaking in the central hilly and mountainous regions, weakening their slopes. The May 12 earthquakes in Kodari (magnitude 7.3) and Ramechhap (magnitude 6.3) occurred directly beneath the area most affected by the landslides due to the earlier Gorkha earthquake, possibly triggering multiple immediate landslides. These landslides are expected to have been comprised of rockfalls and debris avalanches, causing significant destruction of lives and properties.

Landslide epicenters due to the Gorkha earthquake and its aftershocks (Until May 11). Source: Earthquakes without Frontiers

Landslides in the shorter term

With the continuing aftershocks, an important cause for concern is the stability of the Sunkoshi dam, which may have either been weakened or rendered susceptible to rupture by the landslides from the weakened slopes above the dam. A collapse of this dam could flood the downstream region resulting in extensive loss of lives, property and flora & fauna.

Another cause for concern is the stability of the glaciers and glacial lakes in the mountainous region affected by the quakes near Gorkha and Kodari . The collection of debris from landslides can either cause avalanches from the glaciers, or flooding if it breaks the ice walls of the glacial lakes. Either of these events could cause enormous damage and loss of lives in the downstream region.

Landslides in the longer term

The areas affected by the earthquakes consist of areas with high rates of seasonal rainfall-triggered landslides. The slopes in these areas have been significantly weakened by the major earthquakes, with the ongoing aftershocks only compounding the damage. It is logical to expect that the risk of landslides in these areas will escalate further once the monsoon rains begin. This could lead to catastrophic damage - loss of lives, loss of property, and also the blockage of all of Nepal's major trade routes to China -  in the longer term.

Mitigating measures:

Given that landslides pose such significant risks, it is imperative that Nepal follow these mitigating measures:

• Immediate inspection of the Sunkoshi dam and the surrounding hillsides for structural integrity. Monitoring of the lake waters for seven to ten days to ensure there are no leakages or further damages from subsequent aftershocks. If any instability is found, the nearby Araniko highway should be closed while repairs are conducted. 
• Immediate inspection of the glaciers and glacial lakes. Evacuations of the downstream populace, if necessary.
• Survey of the major transportation corridors in the affected areas to identify where problems are likely to arise, to prepare alternate routes, and "to prepare for the possibility of both immediate action to clear rockfall debris and continued clearance and maintenance of major roads after future landsliding".
• Collection of more data, on the ground or satellite, to identify where any landslides have occurred so far, and where they are likely to occur in the future. The affected populace should be warned and prepared in accordance with the data collected.

By Anu Joshi

Who we are is a group of youths, spread out across the globe, bonding through our mutual grief and trying our level best to help in any way possible. We come from all walks of life, with a varying spectrum of skills between us. And as such, we have raised funds, medical supplies, tents; we have held vigils, we have prayed, we have started campaigns of various sorts. And even after all that - we are aware that all our best efforts have fallen short of making a significant contribution to our country.

Most of us (besides our volunteers on ground) haven't physically felt the earthquakes - but it doesn't diminish the terror, anguish, and helplessness we feel. Every single day and night that our friends and families suffer weighs heavy on our conscience, and we are guilt-ridden by the awareness of our own comforts. We lie awake night after night, calling our loved ones, and devouring every scrap of news we come across - obsessively tracking every earthquake and aftershocks. We mutely watch the pictures and videos on the screen from thousands of miles away, as our homes and childhoods crumble into nothingness. And we quietly suffer alongside thousands of other Nepalese living away from home.

Working on this website has been cathartic for most of us - it has helped us connect to old and new friends as we all work towards creating a centralized site for useful information, that we sincerely hope will be useful to the survivors and aid workers on the ground. We pour our grief into words, code our nightmares away, and spend countless hours trying to make up for our absence from our homes where we are needed the most.

However, we are not here to put our grief on display. We are not here to sensationalize the news, and glorify the tragedy. We are not here to make money off of the terrible tragedies back home in Nepal. And we are not going to watch from the sidelines and shirk our responsibilities.

( नेपालीमा पढ्न तल जानुहोस् )

Guest Post by Gina Gabelia

• Ensure physical needs – food, water, shelter, clothing, medical care are attended to (2)
• Connect with friends, family, and loved ones and take comfort from them  (2)
• Gather information about where to receive relief assistance (2)
• Define what needs to happen now, i.e. “find a tent before the rain starts”  vs. what can wait for a few days, i.e. “find a new job”
• Take on one task at a time
• Identify what you can control vs. what you cannot, and focus your efforts on what you can control. Remember that emergency teams, the government, and the International Community are in-country to help with what you cannot control.

• Try to stay calm.  Children receive the vast majority of their information through visual and intuitive observations; they react more to the tone of your voice than to your words and if they feel your stress they will react with stress (2)
• Predictability is a key factor in making children (and adults!) feel safe; try to maintain as much of a normal daily routine as possible with meals, chores, play, etc. happening at about the same time (as much as possible!) (2)
• School is not open, but if a Child Friendly Space is available make a daily schedule for children to spend a regular chunk of time engaging and playing with other children and caring adults
• Stay physically close to your children; if you need to be away tell the children in clear, simple terms where you are going and how long you will be gone (as much as you know!) (2)
• Children want adult reassurance of their safety more than anything – to know the “adults are taking care of business” to keep the world safe and predictable.  Even if they ask questions you do not know the answers to, tell them so and that you will try to find out (2). 
• Be available to answer children's questions – try to answer questions as simply and succinctly as possible as they will be overwhelmed by too much information (2). 
• Keep in mind each child – and their tolerance for trauma – is different and their long-term reaction to stress and trauma will be individualized based on their temperament and extent of exposure to the earthquakes and their aftermaths.  More specialized care from mental health professionals may be required in the future, but it is difficult to determine now as we are still in the “shock” phase of a natural disaster (2).

- Guest Post (Edited by Saugat Kandel)

This is a letter received by one of the One Stop Portal team members from a friend on the ground in Nepal:

A letter from a brother

Dear Brother,

We had another earthquake today around 7.4 in Richter is rumored. My original plans for the day had been to go volunteer to clean up durbar square and later on go swimming on the hot day. That's how normal life had become. But yet again people are scared to enter their houses, the government is saying it's 6.8 while other news media are saying it's 7.4. Maybe lower numbers cause a little less panic, but it's already there. Most people are yet again going to be sleeping outdoors tonight. People were assured that another large earthquake would be rare, but feel betrayed. The worst part is about an earthquake is nobody knows the answers.


I was sitting on my desk and thought it would be a quick one that would be over in a few seconds but it kept on going. I hid under the desk for 5 seconds but thought, what if this house collapses? So I decided to go outside while it was still shaking. I saw a plastic chair and tried to lift it above my head to protect myself, then thought it was dumb so put it down and continued towards the living room. I sat on the threshold of the door above the stairs for 5 seconds, then tried to walk down, then decided to stay on the threshold again. Next thing I saw was the helmet and decided to put in on. The helmet gave me courage to walk down the stairs, but for some reason I ditched the helmet on the bottom of the stairs and actually put it in the trash bin. And finally got out safely. Its so funny how confused and ridiculous I was.

Next I tried to call people but of course the phone would not work. So after 5 minutes I grabbed the keys to the scooty and decided to go to look for dad. But it took me really long to go cuz I kept running back up the house, once to shut off the gas, then again to place the TV safely on the ground, then upstairs to put the Masala jars safely. Then run back down, and up again for my wallet and keys and down and up again to lock the doors and windows. After much running back and forth up and down the house I was finally able to head out.

I hit the road and realized that traffic had doubled. Not just that, the drivers were as crazy as I was. People blatantly disregarded traffic rules in front on the police themselves, who were doing their best actually. I had to keep telling myself to control my emotions, how foolish it would sound if i survived the earthquake and died in traffic. I had to ride through Patan's old neighborhoods. The feeling was similar to the time we were little, when we we rushed through dark alleyways scared of ghosts. This time I sprinted past every building that looked shaky, but almost all of them looked shaky. Whenever my phone vibrated, I stopped to take it but could not hear half of what people were trying to tell me.

Anyways, I was able to get mom back home safely. Dad got back home a little later. We were lucky again. Plans are to stay put for a couple of days before going to work or doing anything else. Our house has strong pillars, and everybody is fine so don't worry.

Take care.

[ Editor's Note: The earthquake was 7.3 in moment magnitude scale, but 6.8 in Richter scale. The "Richter" scale measures the strength of the earthquake based on how much the earth's surface moves. The "moment" scale measures the strength of the earthquake based on the rigidity of the earth, the average amount of slip on the fault, and the size of the area that slipped. While the Richter and the moment scales have similar values for medium-sized earthquakes, they can have very dissimilar values for larger earthquakes.  The unit Richter is commonly but misleadingly used in news reports to refer to what are actually measurements in the moment scale. ]

It is impossible to predict the exact timing of an earthquake. The US Geological Survey modeling, updated on May 08, suggested a 1 in 200 chance of a M7 - 7.8 earthquake occurring this week. The M7.3 earthquake that struck today at 12:55PM local time (07:05 GMT) was 5.5 times less intense than the previous M7.8 earthquake. But it has dealt a heavy blow to the earthquake survivors, who have been forced to sleep outside their homes again.

A Wall Street Journal article suggests that the M7.3 earthquake today was a part of the chain reaction of the April 25 earthquake, during which the fault boundary ruptures 150 kms eastward from the epicenter. According to Richard Walters, an earthquake geophysicist at University of Leeds, it is "consistent with rupture on the deeper extension of the same fault as it dips to the north, under the Himalayas." Preliminary assessment suggests that the second earthquake was triggered by the stress changes caused by the first one.

A comparison of April 25 and May 12 quakes. (Source: BBC)

This graphic from BBC shows the satellite measurement of the ground movement on April 25, and is overlaid with an early model of the expected shaking by today's earthquake. The red areas indicate areas of 'uplift' and the blue denotes where the land has subsided. The previous epicenter was 80km northwest of the capital in Sindhupalchowk, and today's epicenter was 80km east-northeast of the capital, halfway to Mount Everest.

This shallow quake has affected 31 of the 75 districts. And there has been reports of cracked buildings coming down, as well as landslides in various places. As of 8PM local time, a tweet from Nepali Police placed the total number of dead at 41, and injured at 1115.

By Saugat Kandel (English) and Raju Adhikari (Nepali)

Given how frequently Nepal is getting hit with aftershocks, it is very important to BE PREPARED.  Being prepared means having some emergency supplies ready that you can grab and rush out in case of an emergency. This could be a backpack that you keep next to your doors, or some other bag in some other easy-to-access location. Here are the fundamentals of an emergency kit:

1. WATER:
A few bottles of water per person. 3 day supply. Dehydration is dangerous.

2. FOOD:
Some non-perishable food. Chauchau, chiura, bhatmas, whatever. 3 day supply.

3. FLASHLIGHT
This could be very important if either the earthquake strikes during the night, or if you have to sleep outside.


4. RADIO
For any emergency news and information.

5. BATTERIES
Extra batteries for the flashlight and radio.

6. MEDICAL SUPPLIES
Any emergency medication that you need day to day. Some painkillers. Some bandages - bandaids and bigger bandages. A thermometer.

7. IMPORTANT PERSONAL DOCUMENTS
Citizenship. Passport. Emergency contact information.

8. SANITATION AND PERSONAL HYGIENE ITEMS
Sanitary pads, soaps, some Piyush tablets, and anything else that comes to mind.

9. CELL PHONE + CHARGER

10. EXTRA CASH

Keeping these supplies handy could save a life.

Source:
http://www.redcross.org/prepare/location/home-family/get-kit

Live news update feed: Reuters, Reddit

Nepal has just been hit by another earthquake of magnitude 7.3, with an epicenter 18 km SE of Kodari, Nepal. The earthquake struck at a depth of 15 km, approximately one hour ago (7:05 AM, May 12, UTC). The effects of the earthquake have yet to be reported.
(Source: USGS, http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/us20002ejl#general_summary)

1. Check for injuries:
• Check for injuries
  • Check your first aid kit or the front pages of your telephone book for detailed instructions on first aid measures.
  • If a person is bleeding, put direct pressure on the wound. Use clean gauze or cloth, if available.
  • If a person is not breathing, administer rescue breathing.
  • If a person has no pulse, begin CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation).
  • Do not move seriously injured persons unless they are in immediate danger of further injury.
  • Cover injured persons with blankets or additional clothing to keep them warm.
  • Get medical help for serious injuries.
  • Carefully check children or others needing special assistance.
  
  
2. Check for damage:

• Check for damage

  Fire. If possible, put out small fires in your home or neighborhood immediately. Call for help, but don't wait for the fire department.
  Gas Leaks. Shut off the main gas valve only if you suspect a leak because of broken pipes or the odor or sound of leaking natural gas. Don't turn it back on yourself - wait for the gas company to check for leaks. The phone book has detailed information on this topic.
  Damaged Electrical Wiring. Shut off power at the main breaker switch if there is any damage to your house wiring. Leave the power off until the damage is repaired.
  Broken Lights and Appliances. Unplug these as they could start fires when electricity is restored.
  Downed Power Lines. If you see downed power lines, consider them energized and stay well away from them. Keep others away from them. Never touch downed power lines or any objects in contact with them.
  Fallen Items. Beware of items tumbling off shelves when you open closet and cupboard doors.
  Spills. Use extreme caution. Clean up any spilled medicines, drugs, or other non-toxic substances. Potentially harmful materials such as bleach, lye, garden chemicals, and gasoline or other petroleum products should be isolated or covered with an absorbent such as dirt or cat litter. When in doubt, leave your home.
  Damaged Masonry. Stay away from chimneys and walls made of brick or block. They may be weakened and could topple during aftershocks. Don't use a fireplace with a damaged chimney. It could start a fire or let poisonous gases into your home.

Source: http://www.earthquakecountry.org/roots/step6.html

By Puru Shah

In my previous post titled, "What is Wrong With Donations For Nepal's Earthquake Relief?",  I highlighted that a majority of the funds for the earthquake relief in Nepal are being channeled through INGOs, and bypassing the country's systems. To reiterate, I am not advocating for national and international donors to channel all funds through the PM Disaster Relief Fund.


The major recipients are Unspecified, UNICEF, International Medical Corps (IMC), PM Disaster Relief Fund, Red Cross, Oxfam and Direct Relief among others.

Big donors like IKEA and Yahoo have given funds to UNICEF. Similarly, IMC has received donations from Facebook and PM Relief Fund has received from Nepali corporations such as Gorkha Brewery.

3. The Largest Donors by INGOs

The two biggest donors in the INGO category are Disaster Emergency Committe (DEC) and DEC UK. However, their recipients are classified as "various recipients" and are unspecified at this point (as seen in the chart below).

In contrast, Bin Talal Foundation has donated its $1 million to International Medical Corps, Habitat For Humanity and World Food Program. Similarly, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has donated $700,000 to Oxfam GB and $300,000 to Act Alliance (ACT) and LWR (Lutheran World Relief). Turkish Red Cross has donated to Nepal Red Cross Society.

4. The Largest Multilateral Donors

The largest donors in this category are familiar names like the United Nations, Central Emergency Response Fund and the EU. Besides the unspecified recipients at this time, they have donated to familiar international agencies like WFP, UNICEF, International Organization for Migration (IOM), WHO and UNFPA. There are no surprises in this category. Again, I have not included $203 million loans from ADB in this category.

5. The Largest Donors in The Nepalese Government

6. The Largest Donors - By NGOs

The largest donor in local NGO category is New York Nepalese Football Club (NYNFC) and has given its $30,000 donations to its own president who is currently in Nepal. It may seem a little unusual that donor and recipient is the same entity but perhaps the donors in the US chose to send funds to their trusted president in Nepal. It is similar to the UK's decision to contribute $7.7 million to its own Disaster Emergency Committee (UK).

The rest of the NGOs have contributed to the PM Disaster Relief Fund.


This "Others" category should be seen as a category that lists all donations from entities not falling under one of the eight categories listed above.

The largest donor, Upendra Mahato has contributed funds to Fulkumari Mahato Memorial Trust, named after his mother. He has pledged to use one-fifth of the funds (Rs. 30m) for immediate relief and four-fifth (Rs. 120m) for reconstruction.

Similarly, Shing Foundation from Hong Kong and Armed Police Force have contributed to the PM Disaster Relief Fund while recipients of Non-Resident Nepali (NRN) Association are unspecified.

Are There Any Local Organizations Worthy of Anyone's Donations?

Although their share of received funds is relatively small, most of their funds have come from individuals and group donations in the amounts of $37,951, $28,716, $23,138, $18,175 and $1,011. I was not familiar with Bibeksheel Nepali prior to the earthquake in Nepal but their ability to mobilize thousands of youths and deliver relief materials in remote villages of Nepal has made me a believer in their mission. In addition, any organization that enjoys popular support of ordinary individuals and groups is a worthy one regardless of ratings from sites like Charity Navigator.

If there are any Nepali or foreign donors who are trying to find a local organization worthy of their donations that will be spent well, I'd strongly recommend Bibeksheel Nepali. Their portfolio and work is documented on their website and social media pages (Facebook).

Conclusion

If any of you have been following my previous blog posts, you can not help but notice how much I stress on donating to the local NGOs and the PM Disaster Relief Fund in addition to the INGOs. Based on the analysis above, it appears that foreign donors have given a majority of their funds to the INGOs and international charities while national donors have given a majority to the PM Relief Fund and local agencies.