Understanding short-term household recoveries from the 2015 Nepal earthquakes: Lessons learned and recommendations

Public health implications of multiple disaster exposures

“…Those who had low income, were Māori, or who lived with a physical health condition or disability were more likely to experience lower quality of life and wellbeing in the long term. A group of studies following the 2015 Nepal earthquakes emphasised inequalities in long-term recovery trajectories, 163,166,167 finding that marginalised groups were more likely to face long-term displacement 164 and to be excluded from Panel: Recommendations for supporting public health in multiple disaster settings Mental health • Provision of mental health support services to populations affected by cumulative trauma such as multiple disasters. 25,31,35,84,90,96,112,127 • In mental health support interventions, screen for previous disaster exposures and other past traumas to identify populations at risk.…”

“…On a more local level, one study after the Nepal earthquakes in 2015 found that the operational reliance of non-governmental organ isations on social capital to distribute support after a disaster contributed to inequities in access to resources. 152 Recovery processes 26 articles focused on elements of recovery from multiple disasters, including economic recovery, 153,154 government and political factors in the recovery stage, 53,66,[155][156][157][158][159][160] community capitals, 24 schools as central hubs for recovery, 161 disaster recovery committees, 162 inequalities in recovery, [163][164][165][166][167] and reconstruction experiences. 150,[168][169][170] This group also included articles on programmes undertaken in a recovery setting in low-income and middle-income countries, including a food security and relief programme, 171 a microcredit programme, 172 a recovery aid programme, 69 and a global water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) programme.…”

“…150,[168][169][170] This group also included articles on programmes undertaken in a recovery setting in low-income and middle-income countries, including a food security and relief programme, 171 a microcredit programme, 172 a recovery aid programme, 69 and a global water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) programme. 70 Some studies looked at individual or household recovery experiences (eg, of reconstructing housing, or settling insurance claims); 158,160,166,167,169,173 however, most focused on recovery at the community level 24,69,70,154,172 or the country level. 153,171 This focus was in contrast to some of the included mental health studies, which conceptualised individual-level recovery as the absence of mental health conditions or return to pre-disaster psychosocial or cognitive functioning.…”

“…28,48,83 Few of the 26 articles identified provided a definition of recovery, and those that did gave different definitions. 160,163,166,167,169 The majority (23; 88%) of articles discussed recovery as a generalised concept, rather than recovery from multiple disasters. We identified only three articles that directly focused on the complexities of recovery from multiple disasters.…”

This Is the End: Earthquake Narratives and Buddhist Prophesies of Decline

“…Beyond the voluminous scientific literature on Nepal's 2015 earthquakes, studies of earthquake hazards and risks (Bracken et al 2018), and perspectives from anthropologists and geographers on the direct aftermath (Warner et al 2015;Lord 2015;Shakya 2015;Craig 2016;Lord and Murton 2017;Bennike 2017;Plachta 2020;Spoon et al 2020Spoon et al , 2021, few studies have explored how victims use their cultural lenses to interpret causes and consequences. Tibetan and Nepali societies are not unique in this omission.…”