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Nepal earthquake response
In spring 2015, two devastating earthquakes struck Nepal, killing 8,000 people, injuring more than 21,000 and leaving many without shelter. Project management and consultancy group WYG was approached by a UK NGO, Community Action Nepal, to provide technical assistance with the reconstruction of over 30 buildings, including health facilities, schools and shelters in remote, difficult-to-access Himalayan locations. The programme brought together specialists to carry out damage assessments and repair and rebuild all damaged buildings within two years. WYG worked closely with local stakeholders to grow their technical skills to make the local vernacular of stone masonry construction more resilient to earthquakes.
“It became clear that the project’s success would be determined by the ability of Community Action Nepal, and the communities they support, to recover from future earthquakes independently.” – Cara Buchan (senior architect) and Glyn Utting (associate programme manager) of WYG, writing in Building