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Powerful tremors
catch millions by surprise.
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There was a very
violent earthquake.
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00:00:09,609 --> 00:00:12,678
NARRATOR: Collapsing
buildings kill thousands.
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00:00:12,712 --> 00:00:14,847
Many are buried alive.
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00:00:14,881 --> 00:00:16,482
ANDREW OLVERA: And we're going to go
ahead and have the rescue squad come in
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00:00:16,516 --> 00:00:20,619
and help extricate that victim
out of the hole.
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NARRATOR: It's the biggest quake
to happen here in 80 years.
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00:00:23,323 --> 00:00:24,423
MICHAEL ANDREW:
Major earthquake!
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We've never seen
anything like it!
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00:00:25,692 --> 00:00:27,226
CLIMBER: Oh, look at that,
look at that, look at that!
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00:00:27,260 --> 00:00:29,595
NARRATOR: The quake triggers a
huge avalanche on Mount Everest,
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00:00:29,629 --> 00:00:31,263
killing 20 people.
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PAUL DEVANEY:
Whoa, whoa, whoa, inside!
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NARRATOR: It's the Himalayan
peak's most deadly day.
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00:00:36,836 --> 00:00:38,070
DAVID BREASHEARS:
It looks like what you see
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00:00:38,104 --> 00:00:42,674
when one of these tornadoes
runs right through a place.
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00:00:42,709 --> 00:00:44,810
I've never seen anything
come at us like that before.
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NARRATOR: Millions across
Nepal are homeless.
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Many are cut off from the world
by landslides.
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SURAJ VAIDYA: They've lost all
the houses that they had.
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The whole village is wiped out.
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NARRATOR: Even scientists are stunned
by the powerful aftershocks.
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Whoa, that was enormous!
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00:00:59,993 --> 00:01:03,095
ANDREW: Oh my gosh, it's like the
whole mountain's coming down!
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We've seen just one fraction
of a second
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in a 50 million year
time interval
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of building the Himalayas.
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NARRATOR: Can they forecast when
the next big one will strike?
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ROGER BILHAM:
You know, it's really scary.
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There's no reason
why one could not occur
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in the next ten years
or the next ten minutes.
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NARRATOR: The race is on
to unravel the mysteries
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of the "Himalayan Megaquake,"
right now on NOVA.
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Major funding for NOVA is
provided by the following...
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In this hilly terrain,
almost all arable land is used.
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The slopes stretch up
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to eight of the world's
ten highest mountains.
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Each spring,
hundreds of mountaineers come
39
00:02:05,391 --> 00:02:09,294
to climb Mount Everest,
the highest point on Earth.
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00:02:09,329 --> 00:02:13,298
The birthplace of the Buddha,
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00:02:13,333 --> 00:02:17,736
Nepal is a peaceful haven
for both Buddhists and Hindus.
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Ancient palaces
stand side-by-side
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with even older Hindu temples.
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April 25, 2015, 11:56 a.m.
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(shouting)
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NARRATOR:
The earth begins to move
47
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and doesn't let up
for a full minute.
48
00:02:41,094 --> 00:02:43,028
(rumbling)
49
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There's no safe place to run.
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PAUL DEVANEY:
Whoa, whoa, whoa, inside!
51
00:03:00,046 --> 00:03:02,648
NARRATOR: An earthquake
rips across the Himalaya...
52
00:03:02,682 --> 00:03:04,116
DEVANEY: Get down, get
down, get down, get down!
53
00:03:04,150 --> 00:03:05,117
CLIMBER:
Close the door!
54
00:03:05,151 --> 00:03:06,185
DEVANEY:
Close the door!
55
00:03:06,219 --> 00:03:08,020
NARRATOR:
unleashing an avalanche
56
00:03:08,054 --> 00:03:10,022
upon hundreds
at Everest's Base Camp.
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(rumbling)
58
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I've never seen anything
come at us like that before.
59
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Oh my God.
60
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Oh my God!
61
00:03:21,868 --> 00:03:23,101
JOST KOBUSCH:
Are you okay?
62
00:03:23,136 --> 00:03:24,503
CLIMBER:
Yeah!
63
00:03:24,537 --> 00:03:25,571
WOMAN:
Are you all right?
64
00:03:25,605 --> 00:03:27,125
KOBUSCH:
Yeah.
65
00:03:32,278 --> 00:03:35,881
NARRATOR: Survivors
quickly become rescuers.
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00:03:35,915 --> 00:03:37,649
(honking)
67
00:03:37,684 --> 00:03:40,219
Makeshift hospitals spring up
68
00:03:40,253 --> 00:03:43,956
to deal with the nearly
18,000 injured.
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00:03:43,990 --> 00:03:47,092
Many are still buried alive.
70
00:03:47,126 --> 00:03:52,731
Eight-year-old Seema Tamang
was trapped under her house.
71
00:03:52,765 --> 00:03:55,601
She can't walk,
has a head injury,
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00:03:55,635 --> 00:03:57,469
but medical care is limited.
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00:03:59,339 --> 00:04:04,243
NARRATOR: There's a race to find
anyone alive in the rubble.
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00:04:09,716 --> 00:04:13,819
NARRATOR: Since April 25,
seismometers across Nepal
75
00:04:13,853 --> 00:04:19,358
have recorded 400 aftershocks
of magnitude four or greater.
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NARRATOR: Over two million
are now homeless.
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00:04:47,754 --> 00:04:49,755
NARRATOR:
Shaking isn't the only threat.
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00:04:49,789 --> 00:04:51,623
Over 5,000 landslides
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00:04:51,658 --> 00:04:54,960
have left thousands of villages
unreachable.
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00:04:54,994 --> 00:04:56,962
SURAJ VAIDYA: They're cut
off from the rest of Nepal,
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00:04:56,996 --> 00:04:58,897
and they've lost all the houses
that they had.
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The whole village is wiped out.
83
00:05:00,433 --> 00:05:02,334
They have supplies
for about 11 days.
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00:05:02,368 --> 00:05:05,270
And she's not sure what she's
going to do after 11 days,
85
00:05:05,305 --> 00:05:07,105
but she's hoping that
the government will come
86
00:05:07,140 --> 00:05:09,107
and give some sort of rescue,
87
00:05:09,142 --> 00:05:11,310
you know,
drop some food up here.
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So living for them is extremely,
extremely difficult
89
00:05:13,713 --> 00:05:14,713
at this stage.
90
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This used to be a cow shed,
91
00:05:18,418 --> 00:05:20,619
and now what you have is
people actually occupying this
92
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for their shelters, yes?
93
00:05:22,055 --> 00:05:24,589
So you see there are four
little children up here.
94
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They live up here, you see
they live in the middle?
95
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That's how they're living.
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NARRATOR: As the death
toll rises toward 8,000,
97
00:05:32,799 --> 00:05:37,369
a few miracles emerge
from the dust.
98
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Rescuers dig a baby boy out
99
00:05:39,772 --> 00:05:41,873
from underneath his home
on day two.
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00:05:41,908 --> 00:05:45,143
Remarkably, he's unharmed.
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This earthquake came
without warning.
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People in the central mountain
villages felt it first.
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Then, just 16 seconds later,
the shaking reaches the capital.
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00:06:01,494 --> 00:06:07,899
The waves rock people
like a storm at sea.
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00:06:07,934 --> 00:06:11,470
The tremors take only a minute
to reach Mount Everest,
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150 miles away.
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KOBUSCH:
The ground is shaking!
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Do you hear that?
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NARRATOR:
Irish climber Paul Devaney
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00:06:19,312 --> 00:06:21,980
picks up his camera
to record what's happening.
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We realized,
"Wow, this is an earthquake
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and the whole of the base camp
is moving pretty violently."
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NARRATOR:
Then, up above them,
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the earthquake dislodges
a massive block of snow and ice,
115
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which comes hurtling down.
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But they can't see it.
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BREASHEARS: I think probably
if it had been a clear day,
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00:06:39,932 --> 00:06:44,770
people would've seen
that avalanche much sooner.
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NARRATOR: Photographer David Breashears
was on the mountain that day.
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They had no time
by the time they turned around.
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CLIMBER 1: Oh, look at that,
look at that, look at that.
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Oh, look straight ahead.
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Ready to go in the tents,
or what?
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CLIMBER 2:
That is immense.
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CLIMBER 1:
Look, look, look, look, look!
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Ready to go in the tent?
127
00:07:09,061 --> 00:07:12,464
NARRATOR: The climbers have a few
seconds to decide where to run.
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I'd say within about 50 feet
of our location,
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a massive avalanche
was bearing down on us.
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KOBUSCH:
Oh, oh!
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CLIMBER 3:
Look, look!
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DEVANEY:
Whoa, whoa, whoa, inside!
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At that point in time,
you're just focused on,
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"How can I survive this,
and will I survive this?"
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(panting)
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00:07:47,834 --> 00:07:50,335
KOBUSCH:
Come under my jacket!
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Come under my jacket!
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Are you okay?
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MAN: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
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WOMAN:
Are you all right?
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MAN: Yeah.
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(panting)
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00:08:03,382 --> 00:08:06,582
DEVANEY: I've never seen anything
like that cloud come at us before.
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00:08:07,753 --> 00:08:09,321
Are you okay?
145
00:08:12,992 --> 00:08:16,795
BREASHEARS: We started to learn,
three or four hours later,
146
00:08:16,829 --> 00:08:19,297
that there had been
loss of life.
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00:08:19,332 --> 00:08:23,301
Many casualties,
people with serious injuries,
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00:08:23,336 --> 00:08:26,605
multiple broken bones,
concussions.
149
00:08:26,639 --> 00:08:31,943
Then every few hours,
the death count went up.
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00:08:31,978 --> 00:08:36,715
These were massive
blunt force trauma injuries.
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00:08:36,749 --> 00:08:40,485
People were blown
through the air into rocks.
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NARRATOR: Ultimately 20
people die on Everest,
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00:08:44,924 --> 00:08:50,161
and in the rest of Nepal,
the total dead nears 9,000.
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News of the devastation
travels faster
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00:08:53,466 --> 00:08:55,600
than the seismic waves
themselves.
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00:08:55,635 --> 00:08:59,571
As the earthquake's waves
ripple out,
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they hit seismic stations
at different times.
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00:09:03,276 --> 00:09:05,443
It takes 24 minutes for them
159
00:09:05,478 --> 00:09:07,612
to reach the other side
of the Earth,
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00:09:07,647 --> 00:09:10,916
in Colorado,
where the U.S. Geological Survey
161
00:09:10,950 --> 00:09:14,419
can compare the time they took
to reach each station
162
00:09:14,453 --> 00:09:16,888
and then pinpoint
where the waves started...
163
00:09:16,923 --> 00:09:19,190
the epicenter.
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00:09:19,225 --> 00:09:23,762
This one started 50 miles
northwest of Kathmandu.
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00:09:23,796 --> 00:09:28,233
But word travels hundreds of
times faster via social media.
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00:09:28,267 --> 00:09:32,804
HARLEY BENZ: We monitor for the word
"earthquake" in many languages.
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00:09:32,838 --> 00:09:35,574
We saw a surge
in Twitter traffic.
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00:09:35,608 --> 00:09:38,577
Realizing it was
in a heavily populated area,
169
00:09:38,611 --> 00:09:42,047
an area that we know large
earthquakes can do damage,
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00:09:42,081 --> 00:09:43,949
I was called at home.
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00:09:43,983 --> 00:09:47,652
Within a few minutes,
our seismic sensors
172
00:09:47,687 --> 00:09:49,621
will start seeing
this earthquake,
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00:09:49,655 --> 00:09:52,123
and then we'll locate
the earthquake,
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00:09:52,158 --> 00:09:53,425
determine its magnitude.
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00:09:53,459 --> 00:09:56,962
NARRATOR: Magnitude is the
size of the earthquake
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00:09:56,996 --> 00:09:58,496
at its source.
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00:09:58,531 --> 00:10:02,601
This one's 7.8...
sometimes called a "megaquake,"
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00:10:02,635 --> 00:10:05,470
an earthquake
that's seven or greater.
179
00:10:05,504 --> 00:10:09,441
Earthquake magnitude
is not linear.
180
00:10:09,475 --> 00:10:12,978
The 2010 quake in Haiti at 7.0
181
00:10:13,012 --> 00:10:16,948
had the energy
of 32 Hiroshima bombs.
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00:10:16,983 --> 00:10:22,787
Nepal's 7.8 is more than
15 times stronger,
183
00:10:22,822 --> 00:10:26,758
but not as large as this
highly active zone can produce.
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00:10:28,661 --> 00:10:32,130
Geologist Roger Bilham
is a first responder
185
00:10:32,164 --> 00:10:35,767
to most of the world's
major earthquakes.
186
00:10:35,801 --> 00:10:37,268
I immediately had a look
187
00:10:37,303 --> 00:10:38,770
to see how much money we had
in the bank,
188
00:10:38,804 --> 00:10:41,206
and I purchased a ticket
on the next flight to Kathmandu.
189
00:10:41,240 --> 00:10:46,244
NARRATOR: He's especially
interested in the Himalayan region
190
00:10:46,278 --> 00:10:50,615
because of its unique
geologic history.
191
00:10:50,650 --> 00:10:54,085
The earth's crust consists
of several tectonic plates.
192
00:10:54,120 --> 00:10:58,456
About 50 million years ago,
one of them, the Indian plate,
193
00:10:58,491 --> 00:11:03,662
began colliding with Eurasia,
gradually forcing it upwards,
194
00:11:03,696 --> 00:11:06,398
creating a massive
mountain range...
195
00:11:06,432 --> 00:11:07,899
the Himalayas.
196
00:11:07,933 --> 00:11:09,901
That's what builds
the Himalayas.
197
00:11:09,935 --> 00:11:12,404
Where you have compression
of two plates,
198
00:11:12,438 --> 00:11:15,006
the plates initially
start to fold and fracture.
199
00:11:15,041 --> 00:11:17,676
The Himalayas is probably
the largest collision
200
00:11:17,710 --> 00:11:22,280
that we've seen on the planet
for the last 500 million years.
201
00:11:22,314 --> 00:11:25,717
NARRATOR: The Indian plate
continues to converge with Tibet
202
00:11:25,751 --> 00:11:28,553
at the rate
of 18 millimeters a year.
203
00:11:28,587 --> 00:11:31,956
In some places,
the plates stick,
204
00:11:31,991 --> 00:11:33,892
accumulating stress,
205
00:11:33,926 --> 00:11:37,362
which eventually releases
all at once in an earthquake.
206
00:11:37,396 --> 00:11:43,868
This is what scientists believe
happened on April 25, 2015.
207
00:11:43,903 --> 00:11:46,204
MAN:
My god!
208
00:11:46,238 --> 00:11:48,840
SEARLE: We've seen just
one fraction of a second
209
00:11:48,874 --> 00:11:52,410
in a 50 million year
time interval
210
00:11:52,445 --> 00:11:54,079
of building the Himalayas.
211
00:11:54,113 --> 00:11:58,450
NARRATOR: This blip
in the geological timeline
212
00:11:58,484 --> 00:12:01,886
was so powerful, it wiped out
thousands of villages.
213
00:12:01,921 --> 00:12:04,589
Rescue has been slow to arrive.
214
00:12:04,623 --> 00:12:07,325
A team of Nepalese athletes
and nurses
215
00:12:07,359 --> 00:12:10,595
takes matters
into their own hands.
216
00:12:10,629 --> 00:12:12,897
They gather tents, tarps,
and food
217
00:12:12,932 --> 00:12:16,301
to deliver
to the cut-off villages.
218
00:12:37,590 --> 00:12:39,357
NARRATOR: They're
travelling to the district
219
00:12:39,391 --> 00:12:42,127
with the highest death toll:
Sindhupalchok.
220
00:12:42,161 --> 00:12:46,264
Few vehicles have passed here
since the earthquake.
221
00:12:53,439 --> 00:12:55,907
NARRATOR: They want to get
food and medical supplies
222
00:12:55,941 --> 00:12:58,143
as far as the bus
will take them.
223
00:12:58,177 --> 00:13:01,780
Then, they'll set up a hospital
for survivors.
224
00:13:01,814 --> 00:13:05,083
All homes here are abandoned.
225
00:13:10,389 --> 00:13:12,857
NARRATOR:
This road was just dug out
226
00:13:12,892 --> 00:13:15,794
from an earthquake-triggered
landslide.
227
00:13:15,828 --> 00:13:20,098
A strong aftershock
could cause another.
228
00:13:33,179 --> 00:13:36,481
NARRATOR: They reach the
village of Thulo Bhotang.
229
00:13:36,515 --> 00:13:41,486
Over 3,400 people have died
in this district.
230
00:14:07,479 --> 00:14:09,981
NARRATOR: They've brought 3,000
pounds of rice and lentils
231
00:14:10,015 --> 00:14:13,051
to feed the villagers.
232
00:14:21,594 --> 00:14:26,064
NARRATOR: Seema Tamang was literally
buried alive by the earthquake,
233
00:14:26,098 --> 00:14:30,235
pinned beneath the stones
of her home for an entire day.
234
00:14:34,173 --> 00:14:41,079
NARRATOR: Unable to walk,
Seema is in a lot of pain.
235
00:14:41,113 --> 00:14:44,148
The doctors believe
she could have broken bones.
236
00:14:44,183 --> 00:14:46,184
An x-ray is needed,
237
00:14:46,218 --> 00:14:48,887
so she'll have to be evacuated
to Kathmandu.
238
00:15:01,467 --> 00:15:05,470
NARRATOR: 95% of the structures
in this district were destroyed,
239
00:15:05,504 --> 00:15:07,906
including Seema's home.
240
00:15:19,385 --> 00:15:21,219
(speaking Nepali)
241
00:15:21,253 --> 00:15:23,054
BHANDARI:
242
00:15:35,467 --> 00:15:39,570
NARRATOR: But among the less
lucky ones is this young woman,
243
00:15:39,605 --> 00:15:41,906
whose mother
and baby sister died.
244
00:15:44,743 --> 00:15:48,212
(translated): I live in
Kathmandu... I have a job there.
245
00:15:48,247 --> 00:15:50,348
My mother and sister died
246
00:15:50,382 --> 00:15:52,350
in the earthquake.
247
00:15:52,384 --> 00:15:54,652
I came back here,
and now I live in a cow shed
248
00:15:54,687 --> 00:15:56,921
with my brothers and sisters.
249
00:15:56,956 --> 00:16:00,191
One brother doesn't even know
that mother has passed away.
250
00:16:00,225 --> 00:16:02,293
I haven't been able to tell him.
251
00:16:02,328 --> 00:16:04,195
He's only seven years old.
252
00:16:04,229 --> 00:16:07,031
(sobbing)
253
00:16:12,638 --> 00:16:14,939
I can't stay here
because I don't have land here.
254
00:16:14,974 --> 00:16:17,408
Landslides have destroyed
all the lands we had.
255
00:16:17,443 --> 00:16:21,245
The earthquake
has rendered us homeless.
256
00:16:21,280 --> 00:16:23,848
Sometimes, I wish I were dead,
257
00:16:23,882 --> 00:16:27,418
thinking that
it would be better.
258
00:16:27,453 --> 00:16:29,087
This is the house.
259
00:16:29,121 --> 00:16:31,456
We dug mother out
the day before.
260
00:16:31,490 --> 00:16:33,358
It was a two-story house.
261
00:16:33,392 --> 00:16:37,061
It went down
and it became a rubble.
262
00:16:37,096 --> 00:16:40,164
NARRATOR: Some of the villagers have
no family left to care for them.
263
00:16:40,199 --> 00:16:43,835
This man was found
collapsed in his home.
264
00:16:43,869 --> 00:16:46,404
BHANDARI:
265
00:16:54,613 --> 00:16:59,717
NARRATOR: Many villagers will move
away, for fear of landslides.
266
00:16:59,752 --> 00:17:03,988
Those who stay
have nowhere else to go.
267
00:17:09,028 --> 00:17:12,663
NARRATOR: Ang and the nurses
have raised just enough money
268
00:17:12,698 --> 00:17:15,600
to call in a helicopter
for Seema.
269
00:17:15,634 --> 00:17:19,637
A broken leg left untreated
could be fatal.
270
00:17:19,671 --> 00:17:22,874
She and her father
have never flown before,
271
00:17:22,908 --> 00:17:26,711
and this flight, through
the clouds, is a risky one.
272
00:17:30,182 --> 00:17:35,386
This ambulance is one of Seema's
first rides in a vehicle.
273
00:17:35,421 --> 00:17:39,724
She's never been to Kathmandu,
and now it's a city in crisis.
274
00:17:45,864 --> 00:17:49,567
This is a military field
hospital set up by the Chinese.
275
00:17:49,601 --> 00:17:53,638
One of the few available x-ray
machines in Nepal is here.
276
00:17:56,175 --> 00:18:00,645
Surprisingly, Seema's bones
are completely intact.
277
00:18:05,617 --> 00:18:08,219
NARRATOR: The stones that
were pinning down her leg
278
00:18:08,253 --> 00:18:09,687
may have damaged a nerve.
279
00:18:12,224 --> 00:18:15,760
NARRATOR: She can't move her
toes, and without treatment,
280
00:18:15,794 --> 00:18:19,230
she could lose the use
of her leg for life.
281
00:18:22,034 --> 00:18:25,036
As the aftershocks continue,
everyone is afraid
282
00:18:25,070 --> 00:18:28,940
another large quake
will strike soon.
283
00:18:28,974 --> 00:18:32,477
Earthquakes almost always
follow patterns.
284
00:18:32,511 --> 00:18:38,282
These photos are from the last
big one here, in 1934.
285
00:18:38,317 --> 00:18:40,284
It was at least an 8.0
286
00:18:40,319 --> 00:18:43,020
that ruptured in an area
further to the east.
287
00:18:43,055 --> 00:18:45,189
Roger Bilham believes this quake
288
00:18:45,224 --> 00:18:48,559
is a repeat of one
that happened in 1833.
289
00:18:48,594 --> 00:18:52,964
It ruptured in the same region
with similar impact.
290
00:18:52,998 --> 00:18:54,799
BILHAM:
This earthquake enables us
291
00:18:54,833 --> 00:18:57,869
to reinterpret
all historical earthquakes,
292
00:18:57,903 --> 00:19:00,304
and our only knowledge
of these earthquakes
293
00:19:00,339 --> 00:19:02,540
is how people perceived them.
294
00:19:02,574 --> 00:19:06,410
NARRATOR: Since there were
no seismic records in 1833,
295
00:19:06,445 --> 00:19:08,980
Roger had to study
newspaper accounts
296
00:19:09,014 --> 00:19:11,082
and travelers' journals.
297
00:19:11,116 --> 00:19:14,452
From those descriptions,
he estimated the earthquake
298
00:19:14,486 --> 00:19:18,990
had a magnitude of 7.8, similar
to the present-day quake.
299
00:19:19,024 --> 00:19:20,892
Well, suddenly
we have an earthquake
300
00:19:20,926 --> 00:19:23,327
that we know about numerically
301
00:19:23,362 --> 00:19:26,697
which has just been felt
by a million people,
302
00:19:26,732 --> 00:19:29,967
and those million people
have spoken to reporters
303
00:19:30,002 --> 00:19:32,537
and we've now been able
to make a catalogue
304
00:19:32,571 --> 00:19:36,974
of hundreds of accounts
for this earthquake.
305
00:19:37,009 --> 00:19:39,443
And those accounts
can now be translated
306
00:19:39,478 --> 00:19:42,847
into a much more precise
numerical evaluation
307
00:19:42,881 --> 00:19:44,649
of historical earthquakes.
308
00:19:44,683 --> 00:19:47,752
NARRATOR: That quake was followed
by a series of aftershocks
309
00:19:47,786 --> 00:19:49,420
over two years.
310
00:19:49,454 --> 00:19:54,325
But since 1833, enormous stress
has built up along the fault,
311
00:19:54,359 --> 00:19:58,362
leading Roger to believe that
the 2015 earthquake
312
00:19:58,397 --> 00:20:00,231
should've been larger.
313
00:20:00,265 --> 00:20:01,866
The first thing we thought was,
314
00:20:01,900 --> 00:20:03,634
"Gosh, this is smaller
than we expected."
315
00:20:03,669 --> 00:20:08,072
NARRATOR: He expected a
magnitude eight or higher,
316
00:20:08,106 --> 00:20:12,210
at least double the power
of the killer that just struck.
317
00:20:12,244 --> 00:20:16,380
So how much energy is still
stored in the fault?
318
00:20:16,415 --> 00:20:21,085
Scientists know that the plates
move at 18 millimeters a year.
319
00:20:21,119 --> 00:20:25,122
In the 182 years since 1833,
320
00:20:25,157 --> 00:20:27,792
they've moved
about three meters.
321
00:20:27,826 --> 00:20:30,728
But in some places,
the faults are stuck,
322
00:20:30,762 --> 00:20:32,830
and this lack of movement
323
00:20:32,864 --> 00:20:34,904
creates a predictable amount
of strain.
324
00:20:36,802 --> 00:20:39,170
John Galetzka is a geodesist
325
00:20:39,204 --> 00:20:41,939
who measures changes
on the surface of the planet.
326
00:20:41,974 --> 00:20:44,442
He can tell
how much of the strain
327
00:20:44,476 --> 00:20:49,347
the 2015 earthquake released.
328
00:20:49,381 --> 00:20:51,148
He's flying directly
to one of the places
329
00:20:51,183 --> 00:20:52,383
where the two plates,
330
00:20:52,417 --> 00:20:54,885
carrying India and Tibet,
are stuck.
331
00:20:54,920 --> 00:20:56,854
33 kilometers to Dunche!
332
00:20:56,888 --> 00:20:59,590
NARRATOR: He'll determine just
how much the locked plates,
333
00:20:59,625 --> 00:21:03,127
20 kilometers below, lurched
forward during the quake.
334
00:21:03,161 --> 00:21:05,997
If they didn't move enough,
335
00:21:06,031 --> 00:21:07,898
there's more stress
to be released.
336
00:21:07,933 --> 00:21:09,634
We'll get seismic data!
337
00:21:09,668 --> 00:21:13,204
NARRATOR: GPS stations fixed
solidly to the earth's surface
338
00:21:13,238 --> 00:21:14,872
have the answers.
339
00:21:14,906 --> 00:21:16,941
GALETZKA: I'm just going
to demonstrate for you
340
00:21:16,975 --> 00:21:19,110
how strong the monument is here.
341
00:21:19,144 --> 00:21:23,381
So really, it's anchored
into the earth here,
342
00:21:23,415 --> 00:21:25,416
about a meter and a half
or two meters.
343
00:21:25,450 --> 00:21:26,817
Glued in.
344
00:21:26,852 --> 00:21:28,286
Hi-ya!
345
00:21:28,320 --> 00:21:31,656
NARRATOR: This is one of
over 50 active GPS stations
346
00:21:31,690 --> 00:21:34,659
placed across the Himalayan arc
of Nepal
347
00:21:34,693 --> 00:21:37,928
measuring minute movements
of the Earth.
348
00:21:37,963 --> 00:21:41,399
GPS satellites broadcast
microwave signals
349
00:21:41,433 --> 00:21:43,401
to stations on the ground.
350
00:21:43,435 --> 00:21:45,903
The GPS stations
are so sensitive,
351
00:21:45,937 --> 00:21:50,374
they can detect shifts
as small as a millimeter.
352
00:21:50,409 --> 00:21:52,143
Data reveals
the earthquake released
353
00:21:52,177 --> 00:21:56,947
only half of the stress
that's accumulated since 1833.
354
00:21:56,982 --> 00:22:00,618
This station moved to the south
about a meter and a half.
355
00:22:00,652 --> 00:22:03,354
So just to demonstrate,
356
00:22:03,388 --> 00:22:10,428
this station was
about right here ten days ago,
357
00:22:10,462 --> 00:22:13,731
and then the earthquake
happened,
358
00:22:13,765 --> 00:22:17,635
the earthquake happened,
so seismic waves,
359
00:22:17,669 --> 00:22:21,972
and then seismic waves
and the tectonic movement,
360
00:22:22,007 --> 00:22:23,741
the plate shifting,
361
00:22:23,775 --> 00:22:27,745
and then the antenna settled
to where it is right now.
362
00:22:27,779 --> 00:22:32,516
NARRATOR: This GPS station and others
didn't move as much as expected
363
00:22:32,551 --> 00:22:34,785
because the earthquake
only ruptured
364
00:22:34,820 --> 00:22:37,321
the lower, deeper part
of the fault.
365
00:22:37,356 --> 00:22:40,324
This means a portion
of the fault remains loaded
366
00:22:40,359 --> 00:22:43,494
with pent-up energy
for future earthquakes.
367
00:22:43,528 --> 00:22:45,529
JOHN ELLIOTT: This was a very
big earthquake in Nepal,
368
00:22:45,564 --> 00:22:48,332
but it's not the biggest
that can happen.
369
00:22:48,367 --> 00:22:50,334
It hasn't relieved
all the pressure
370
00:22:50,369 --> 00:22:53,003
across this large faulting area.
371
00:22:53,038 --> 00:22:55,005
There are other bits
of the fault
372
00:22:55,040 --> 00:22:56,574
that still need to break
in the future.
373
00:22:56,608 --> 00:22:59,810
NARRATOR: Does this mean
there's more to come?
374
00:22:59,845 --> 00:23:03,447
This earthquake battery
didn't run all the way down.
375
00:23:03,482 --> 00:23:05,716
It's still partially charged,
376
00:23:05,751 --> 00:23:09,854
leaving a reservoir of stress
to be tapped by future quakes.
377
00:23:09,888 --> 00:23:13,324
A bigger concern is that
there are places along the fault
378
00:23:13,358 --> 00:23:17,862
where no stress was released
by this earthquake.
379
00:23:17,896 --> 00:23:20,664
Recent earthquakes
have relieved built-up stress
380
00:23:20,699 --> 00:23:22,666
to the east in India,
381
00:23:22,701 --> 00:23:25,503
and also to the west
in Pakistan.
382
00:23:25,537 --> 00:23:30,141
But there's an area in between,
to the west of Nepal,
383
00:23:30,175 --> 00:23:32,176
that's locked.
384
00:23:32,210 --> 00:23:36,013
This earthquake didn't cause it
to budge even a bit.
385
00:23:36,047 --> 00:23:38,783
It's a time bomb
waiting to erupt,
386
00:23:38,817 --> 00:23:41,752
where no movement has occurred
for centuries.
387
00:23:41,787 --> 00:23:43,087
SEARLE:
Unfortunately,
388
00:23:43,121 --> 00:23:46,123
all the strain built up
has not been released
389
00:23:46,158 --> 00:23:47,925
and it's still down there,
390
00:23:47,959 --> 00:23:50,761
which means that there is some
danger of further earthquakes
391
00:23:50,796 --> 00:23:54,865
to the west of the fault,
which still remains locked,
392
00:23:54,900 --> 00:23:55,940
and that's a problem.
393
00:23:55,967 --> 00:23:58,135
NARRATOR:
Like a sleeping giant,
394
00:23:58,170 --> 00:24:01,639
the west of Nepal
has at least ten meters
395
00:24:01,673 --> 00:24:04,775
of built-up slip
stored beneath it.
396
00:24:04,810 --> 00:24:07,678
It last slipped in 1505.
397
00:24:07,712 --> 00:24:12,216
That's 500 years of coiled up
potential energy
398
00:24:12,250 --> 00:24:14,084
ready to spring.
399
00:24:14,119 --> 00:24:16,086
BILHAM:
You know, it's really scary.
400
00:24:16,121 --> 00:24:17,388
We know earthquakes
401
00:24:17,422 --> 00:24:21,091
as big as 8.6 have occurred
in the Himalayas.
402
00:24:21,126 --> 00:24:23,761
There is no reason why one
with that magnitude
403
00:24:23,795 --> 00:24:27,465
could not occur
in the next ten years
404
00:24:27,499 --> 00:24:29,300
or the next ten minutes.
405
00:24:29,334 --> 00:24:32,136
NARRATOR: The challenge is
to now prepare the people
406
00:24:32,170 --> 00:24:34,505
for this potential catastrophe.
407
00:24:34,539 --> 00:24:40,244
It'll be 16 times bigger
than the 2015 earthquake.
408
00:24:42,347 --> 00:24:44,181
Day five.
409
00:24:44,216 --> 00:24:46,484
Just as rescuers
are losing hope,
410
00:24:46,518 --> 00:24:50,688
they discover a trapped victim
still alive.
411
00:24:50,722 --> 00:24:53,657
Volunteers from the Los Angeles
County Fire Department
412
00:24:53,692 --> 00:24:55,759
have arrived
to help the local police.
413
00:24:55,794 --> 00:24:58,062
ANDREW OLVERA: We were told
that there's voices heard
414
00:24:58,096 --> 00:24:59,563
and a void space.
415
00:24:59,598 --> 00:25:01,999
We have a search reconnaissance
team with us right now,
416
00:25:02,033 --> 00:25:03,400
and we're going to go ahead
417
00:25:03,435 --> 00:25:04,802
and have the rescue squad
come in
418
00:25:04,836 --> 00:25:07,271
and help extricate that victim
out of the hole.
419
00:25:07,305 --> 00:25:08,906
NARRATOR:
Concrete rescue saws
420
00:25:08,940 --> 00:25:12,843
can cut through what's left
of an eight-story building.
421
00:25:12,878 --> 00:25:17,448
Nepal police force inspector
Laxman Bahadur Basnet
422
00:25:17,482 --> 00:25:20,784
risks his life to crawl
under the tons of rubble.
423
00:25:32,130 --> 00:25:39,603
NARRATOR: They've found a 15-year-old
boy entombed in complete darkness.
424
00:25:39,638 --> 00:25:42,806
They battle for five hours
to free him.
425
00:25:47,746 --> 00:25:49,313
(shouting)
426
00:25:55,253 --> 00:25:57,054
PEMBA LAMA (translated):
I was eating,
427
00:25:57,088 --> 00:25:58,889
and then the earthquake hit.
428
00:25:58,924 --> 00:26:01,225
When I was trying to get out,
429
00:26:01,259 --> 00:26:05,029
the walls broke into pieces
and fell on top of me.
430
00:26:05,063 --> 00:26:09,233
I was unconscious at first,
431
00:26:09,267 --> 00:26:12,536
and then I thought
it was just a nightmare.
432
00:26:12,571 --> 00:26:14,705
OLVERA:
It's what we call an entombment.
433
00:26:14,739 --> 00:26:16,574
So, he wasn't specifically
crushed,
434
00:26:16,608 --> 00:26:18,375
but what he was
was inside of a box,
435
00:26:18,410 --> 00:26:20,911
a box with heavy concrete
all around him.
436
00:26:29,921 --> 00:26:32,256
(cheering)
437
00:26:35,860 --> 00:26:38,095
NARRATOR:
Pemba Lama has emerged
438
00:26:38,129 --> 00:26:42,299
into a world
dramatically altered.
439
00:26:42,334 --> 00:26:47,671
Earthquakes have the power
to instantly reshape the land.
440
00:26:47,706 --> 00:26:50,441
Their most obvious effect
is a sudden slip
441
00:26:50,475 --> 00:26:52,409
to one side or another.
442
00:26:52,444 --> 00:26:53,577
What's less obvious
443
00:26:53,612 --> 00:26:57,081
is that the earth can move
vertically, too.
444
00:26:57,115 --> 00:27:01,385
Geophysicist John Elliott
figures out just how much
445
00:27:01,419 --> 00:27:03,220
using satellite data.
446
00:27:03,254 --> 00:27:04,388
ELLIOTT:
Using this data,
447
00:27:04,422 --> 00:27:06,490
we can measure
precisely how much
448
00:27:06,524 --> 00:27:08,158
the earth has moved up and down.
449
00:27:08,193 --> 00:27:10,027
Each of these is a contour,
450
00:27:10,061 --> 00:27:12,162
but instead of telling you
how high the mountains are,
451
00:27:12,197 --> 00:27:14,999
it tells you how much higher,
how much they grew,
452
00:27:15,033 --> 00:27:17,301
or how much they reduced
in size.
453
00:27:17,335 --> 00:27:19,269
Each of these is
a ten-centimeter contour...
454
00:27:19,304 --> 00:27:21,038
we have ten of them...
455
00:27:21,072 --> 00:27:22,640
and this area beneath Kathmandu
456
00:27:22,674 --> 00:27:24,541
actually uplifted
by about a meter,
457
00:27:24,576 --> 00:27:26,276
whereas these high mountains
north of Kathmandu
458
00:27:26,311 --> 00:27:30,814
actually went down
about 70 centimeters.
459
00:27:30,849 --> 00:27:34,752
NARRATOR: The earthquake caused
Kathmandu to rise three feet up.
460
00:27:34,786 --> 00:27:38,789
Mount Everest, on the other
hand, sank by about an inch.
461
00:27:40,325 --> 00:27:42,593
But it was the side-to-side
shaking
462
00:27:42,627 --> 00:27:46,664
on a ridge above Base Camp
that triggered the avalanche.
463
00:27:46,698 --> 00:27:51,702
Ultimately, it killed 20 people
and injured 120.
464
00:27:51,736 --> 00:27:57,141
But the avalanche only deposited
a couple inches of snow in camp.
465
00:27:57,175 --> 00:28:01,111
NARRATOR: So what caused the
death and destruction here?
466
00:28:01,146 --> 00:28:03,313
BREASHEARS:
This wasn't a normal avalanche.
467
00:28:03,348 --> 00:28:06,884
Some of these tents have thick
steel poles.
468
00:28:06,918 --> 00:28:09,386
We later learned that when
those things are hit
469
00:28:09,421 --> 00:28:12,923
by a 300 mile-per-hour-plus
wind,
470
00:28:12,957 --> 00:28:16,060
they become lethal missiles.
471
00:28:18,196 --> 00:28:22,566
NARRATOR: Scientists in Davos,
Switzerland, simulate
472
00:28:22,600 --> 00:28:24,935
the physical forces
behind avalanches.
473
00:28:24,969 --> 00:28:28,172
But they've never modeled one
this extreme.
474
00:28:28,206 --> 00:28:32,443
Yves Buhler and Perry Bartelt
want to figure out
475
00:28:32,477 --> 00:28:36,313
exactly how much ice was
dislodged above Base Camp
476
00:28:36,347 --> 00:28:38,248
by the earthquake.
477
00:28:38,283 --> 00:28:41,385
David Breashears was able to get
them close-up photos
478
00:28:41,419 --> 00:28:44,088
of the ridgeline
where the ice calved off.
479
00:28:44,122 --> 00:28:45,923
BREASHEARS:
I commissioned a helicopter
480
00:28:45,957 --> 00:28:48,525
to fly directly above Base Camp.
481
00:28:48,560 --> 00:28:52,496
And I flew back and forth
with the door open.
482
00:28:52,530 --> 00:28:53,764
BUHLER:
Because David is doing
483
00:28:53,798 --> 00:28:56,767
so high-resolution shots
we can zoom in.
484
00:28:56,801 --> 00:29:01,438
So this is what we identified
as the main release mass.
485
00:29:01,473 --> 00:29:04,041
NARRATOR: The chunks of ice that
the earthquake tremors shook
486
00:29:04,075 --> 00:29:06,210
off the ridge above Base Camp
487
00:29:06,244 --> 00:29:11,915
were akin to 100,000 cars
plummeting toward camp.
488
00:29:11,950 --> 00:29:16,854
The avalanche took 60 seconds
to descend nearly 3,000 feet,
489
00:29:16,888 --> 00:29:21,658
reaching speeds
of up to 157 miles an hour.
490
00:29:21,693 --> 00:29:25,329
The impact of the ice mass
hitting ground zero
491
00:29:25,363 --> 00:29:29,933
detonated a force comparable
to a bomb blast.
492
00:29:29,968 --> 00:29:32,903
One powder cloud jet managed
to push its way through
493
00:29:32,937 --> 00:29:35,873
and it shot it directly towards
the Base Camp.
494
00:29:35,907 --> 00:29:40,410
NARRATOR: Upon impact, the
avalanche kicks up an envelope,
495
00:29:40,445 --> 00:29:45,849
called a "powder cloud,"
one percent snow and 99% air.
496
00:29:45,884 --> 00:29:48,018
And that's what we
observed in the video.
497
00:29:48,052 --> 00:29:51,188
That it was like ejected
into the air.
498
00:29:51,222 --> 00:29:54,792
NARRATOR: This powder cloud
reached a height of 650 feet.
499
00:29:54,826 --> 00:29:57,895
And just in front of that cloud
500
00:29:57,929 --> 00:30:01,098
blasts an invisible,
but deadly, pressure wave.
501
00:30:01,132 --> 00:30:04,835
The Swiss team determined that
the force of the pressure wave,
502
00:30:04,869 --> 00:30:06,770
indicated here in red,
503
00:30:06,805 --> 00:30:09,673
was enough to flatten
a wooden building.
504
00:30:09,707 --> 00:30:13,310
Many climbers were killed
by a violent blast of air
505
00:30:13,344 --> 00:30:16,313
moving at more
than 100 miles per hour.
506
00:30:16,347 --> 00:30:17,881
The color is the pressure,
507
00:30:17,916 --> 00:30:19,483
so the pressure that people
experienced
508
00:30:19,517 --> 00:30:20,884
when they were there.
509
00:30:20,919 --> 00:30:23,821
And red means the limit where
a person gets smashed
510
00:30:23,855 --> 00:30:25,355
against rocks.
511
00:30:25,390 --> 00:30:28,826
NARRATOR: Climber Paul Devaney
photographed huge barrels
512
00:30:28,860 --> 00:30:30,494
that were blown from the camp
513
00:30:30,528 --> 00:30:33,864
several hundred meters across
the glacier into a gully.
514
00:30:33,898 --> 00:30:38,702
DEVANEY: It's a scene of
pretty surreal devastation.
515
00:30:38,736 --> 00:30:41,405
It's like a plane crash
or something.
516
00:30:41,439 --> 00:30:43,240
It's hard to imagine
what's just happened here
517
00:30:43,274 --> 00:30:45,275
in the last few hours.
518
00:30:45,310 --> 00:30:46,777
(exhales)
519
00:30:46,811 --> 00:30:50,781
NARRATOR: At the same moment,
nearly 100 miles away,
520
00:30:50,815 --> 00:30:53,917
a similar, and even more deadly,
avalanche
521
00:30:53,952 --> 00:30:56,787
hit the village of Langtang.
522
00:30:56,821 --> 00:30:59,089
David Breashears photomapped
the devastation.
523
00:30:59,123 --> 00:31:03,894
BREASHEARS: When I flew in
that helicopter up that valley
524
00:31:03,928 --> 00:31:07,297
and over Langtang,
I really had a hard time
525
00:31:07,332 --> 00:31:10,267
getting my head around
what I was seeing.
526
00:31:10,301 --> 00:31:15,405
An entire village was gone.
527
00:31:15,440 --> 00:31:16,840
Obliterated.
528
00:31:16,875 --> 00:31:22,813
Thousands of trees, trees this
big around, were flattened,
529
00:31:22,847 --> 00:31:26,884
stripped of their bark
and branches.
530
00:31:26,918 --> 00:31:31,421
It looked like what we had seen
after the volcanic eruption
531
00:31:31,456 --> 00:31:33,223
of Mount Saint Helens.
532
00:31:33,258 --> 00:31:36,560
NARRATOR: David stood at the
place where he had taken a photo
533
00:31:36,594 --> 00:31:41,932
of Langtang in 2012
and shot an exact match.
534
00:31:41,966 --> 00:31:49,966
Over 400 people and 116 homes
were lost in an instant.
535
00:31:51,242 --> 00:31:54,945
How could such a colossal event
come to pass
536
00:31:54,979 --> 00:31:58,749
without a trace of warning
for those below?
537
00:31:58,783 --> 00:32:01,084
(shouting)
538
00:32:01,119 --> 00:32:05,555
NARRATOR: In the village above
Langtang, a similar event occurred.
539
00:32:05,590 --> 00:32:08,792
BREASHEARS: This would've
been a group of people
540
00:32:08,826 --> 00:32:14,064
who would've gotten out of their
buildings and said, "It's okay."
541
00:32:14,098 --> 00:32:16,500
And then they would have no idea
542
00:32:16,534 --> 00:32:19,803
what was coming from
10,000 feet above them.
543
00:32:19,837 --> 00:32:22,072
NARRATOR:
They had survived an earthquake,
544
00:32:22,106 --> 00:32:25,742
but out of the clouds came
something even more powerful.
545
00:32:25,777 --> 00:32:27,144
MAN:
Look, look, look!
546
00:32:27,178 --> 00:32:29,379
WOMAN:
Oh, my God!
547
00:32:29,414 --> 00:32:31,548
NARRATOR: The earthquake
unleashed multiple avalanches
548
00:32:31,582 --> 00:32:32,816
onto Langtang Valley,
549
00:32:32,850 --> 00:32:36,753
one of the most popular
trekking routes in Nepal.
550
00:32:36,788 --> 00:32:40,590
BARTELT: It took the avalanche
about 80 seconds after release
551
00:32:40,625 --> 00:32:42,759
to get down to the valley
bottom.
552
00:32:42,794 --> 00:32:45,128
And the avalanche reaches
tremendous speeds.
553
00:32:45,163 --> 00:32:49,232
And shot out almost directly
into the air above Langtang
554
00:32:49,267 --> 00:32:52,035
and then plummeted
into the valley bottom.
555
00:32:54,539 --> 00:32:56,974
NARRATOR:
People just below Langtang,
556
00:32:57,008 --> 00:33:00,911
in the narrow valley, suffered
from pummeling rocks and debris.
557
00:33:00,945 --> 00:33:03,213
Here comes more!
558
00:33:03,247 --> 00:33:05,816
NARRATOR: The cloud could
be seen for miles.
559
00:33:05,850 --> 00:33:07,284
Everyone was running
560
00:33:07,318 --> 00:33:09,553
from plummeting boulders
and landslides.
561
00:33:09,587 --> 00:33:10,988
AUSTIN LORD:
And it was breaking everywhere,
562
00:33:11,022 --> 00:33:12,723
and it was breaking in places
you couldn't see.
563
00:33:12,757 --> 00:33:14,358
It was in the clouds.
564
00:33:14,392 --> 00:33:17,227
And you could hear it coming
from 2,000, 3,000 meters above.
565
00:33:17,261 --> 00:33:20,297
NARRATOR: Austin Lord
captured this footage
566
00:33:20,331 --> 00:33:23,533
in a village two miles
below Langtang.
567
00:33:23,568 --> 00:33:25,869
LORD: You weren't sure if all of
a sudden something would burst
568
00:33:25,903 --> 00:33:27,237
through the clouds that you
couldn't run from.
569
00:33:27,271 --> 00:33:30,674
Here comes another tremor!
570
00:33:30,708 --> 00:33:32,242
LORD:
Splinters coming from the sky,
571
00:33:32,276 --> 00:33:34,778
small rock debris coming
from the sky.
572
00:33:34,812 --> 00:33:37,681
BARTELT:
The houses that were directly
573
00:33:37,715 --> 00:33:40,350
in the path of the core had
absolutely no chance.
574
00:33:40,385 --> 00:33:43,787
They were demolished
and blown away immediately.
575
00:33:43,821 --> 00:33:49,026
BREASHEARS: It looks like what you
see when one of these tornadoes
576
00:33:49,060 --> 00:33:54,598
of epic proportion just runs
right through a place.
577
00:33:54,632 --> 00:33:59,202
NARRATOR:
This was a mega-avalanche.
578
00:33:59,237 --> 00:34:03,306
A chunk of ice larger than
the Empire State Building
579
00:34:03,341 --> 00:34:06,977
fell three times farther
than the Everest avalanche...
580
00:34:07,011 --> 00:34:09,479
more than 10,000
vertical feet...
581
00:34:09,514 --> 00:34:13,417
reaching a speed
of 225 miles per hour
582
00:34:13,451 --> 00:34:16,253
before hitting the village
of Langtang.
583
00:34:16,287 --> 00:34:18,855
That would be ten times the most
extreme avalanche
584
00:34:18,890 --> 00:34:20,257
we would have in Switzerland.
585
00:34:20,291 --> 00:34:23,326
And that's just
a very, very extreme
586
00:34:23,361 --> 00:34:27,097
and unique avalanche event.
587
00:34:27,131 --> 00:34:31,134
NARRATOR: Austin Lord was among
over 300 survivors stranded
588
00:34:31,169 --> 00:34:34,037
in Langtang Valley,
unable to get out
589
00:34:34,072 --> 00:34:37,074
due to landslides and avalanches
blocking the way.
590
00:34:37,108 --> 00:34:40,710
LORD: And then I looked upslope,
where Langtang should've been,
591
00:34:40,745 --> 00:34:43,680
and you could see that Langtang
was just... gone.
592
00:34:43,714 --> 00:34:45,782
And I was standing with two
or three other people
593
00:34:45,817 --> 00:34:47,651
who realized it at
the same time as me,
594
00:34:47,685 --> 00:34:50,720
locals whose families are
located above and below
595
00:34:50,755 --> 00:34:55,092
and in Langtang,
and it was heartstopping.
596
00:34:55,126 --> 00:35:00,697
Local people were seeing each
other, realizing who was gone,
597
00:35:00,731 --> 00:35:02,399
who was still there,
598
00:35:02,433 --> 00:35:05,235
people coming down saying
to the people coming up:
599
00:35:05,269 --> 00:35:06,470
"There's no one.
600
00:35:06,504 --> 00:35:08,638
This is... this is everyone."
601
00:35:08,673 --> 00:35:12,442
And just people collapsing,
just people breaking and melting
602
00:35:12,477 --> 00:35:16,780
and children wailing.
603
00:35:16,814 --> 00:35:18,348
That was the hardest part.
604
00:35:20,685 --> 00:35:22,586
BREASHEARS: We were
wandering down this trail
605
00:35:22,620 --> 00:35:25,489
with debris on both sides of us
606
00:35:25,523 --> 00:35:29,593
and we saw a man coming up
the trail towards us.
607
00:35:29,627 --> 00:35:34,698
And he'd come back up the
valley, having evacuated it,
608
00:35:34,732 --> 00:35:36,967
to look for his wife,
609
00:35:37,001 --> 00:35:38,902
and along with the army
search team,
610
00:35:38,936 --> 00:35:43,006
he had found her body
ten minutes earlier.
611
00:35:43,040 --> 00:35:46,443
The earth shook.
612
00:35:46,477 --> 00:35:51,515
10,000 feet above him
the ice fell.
613
00:35:51,549 --> 00:35:54,885
And in the blink of an eye
his life had changed.
614
00:35:54,919 --> 00:35:59,656
He had no home, he had no wife,
615
00:35:59,690 --> 00:36:03,393
and he had only the 600 rupees
in his pocket
616
00:36:03,427 --> 00:36:05,795
and that was six dollars.
617
00:36:05,830 --> 00:36:10,467
And that's something
that I will never forget.
618
00:36:12,637 --> 00:36:19,376
NARRATOR: 17 days after the main
shock, huge tremors rock Nepal again.
619
00:36:19,410 --> 00:36:22,012
Cameras in parliament
capture the panic.
620
00:36:22,046 --> 00:36:23,246
ROGER BILHAM:
About a minute ago,
621
00:36:23,281 --> 00:36:26,183
there was a very violent
earthquake.
622
00:36:26,217 --> 00:36:27,484
We don't know where it was,
623
00:36:27,518 --> 00:36:31,922
probably about 20 or 30
kilometers from Kathmandu.
624
00:36:31,956 --> 00:36:34,057
And it set the whole valley
shaking,
625
00:36:34,091 --> 00:36:35,959
just like it did
in the main earthquake.
626
00:36:35,993 --> 00:36:38,395
Everyone was absolutely
terrified.
627
00:36:38,429 --> 00:36:44,100
NARRATOR: Could this be a
big aftershock, as in 1833?
628
00:36:44,135 --> 00:36:46,269
Or the big one
from the west of Nepal
629
00:36:46,304 --> 00:36:47,704
that they've been dreading?
630
00:36:47,738 --> 00:36:50,907
Rarely does a seismologist
get to be part
631
00:36:50,942 --> 00:36:52,342
of an earthquake he is studying.
632
00:36:52,376 --> 00:36:53,910
I think it's still moving!
633
00:36:53,945 --> 00:36:55,178
PATRICK GREAVES:
It is still moving.
634
00:36:55,213 --> 00:36:56,346
Good grief!
635
00:36:56,380 --> 00:37:00,083
To see people with their arms
outstretched
636
00:37:00,117 --> 00:37:01,618
wondering what was going
to hit them
637
00:37:01,652 --> 00:37:03,853
even though there was
nothing above them.
638
00:37:03,888 --> 00:37:05,989
Only trees and birds.
639
00:37:06,023 --> 00:37:08,892
People don't do that unless
they've just recovered
640
00:37:08,926 --> 00:37:12,329
from an even worse shock,
which of course was 16 days ago,
641
00:37:12,363 --> 00:37:13,496
the main shock.
642
00:37:13,531 --> 00:37:15,865
This is what happened in 1833.
643
00:37:15,900 --> 00:37:18,535
About two weeks later,
there was a large aftershock
644
00:37:18,569 --> 00:37:19,803
that was felt in India.
645
00:37:19,837 --> 00:37:23,406
And I'm sure this one
would have been, too.
646
00:37:23,441 --> 00:37:25,775
NARRATOR: Roger will be able to
determine if it's an aftershock
647
00:37:25,810 --> 00:37:27,777
or a new earthquake
in a matter of minutes.
648
00:37:27,812 --> 00:37:30,847
I've dialed up the USGS
earthquake page
649
00:37:30,881 --> 00:37:33,950
and I'm sitting here waiting for
a dot to appear on the map
650
00:37:33,985 --> 00:37:36,920
to tell me how big
and exactly where it was.
651
00:37:36,954 --> 00:37:40,257
It takes 24 minutes
for a seismic wave to cross
652
00:37:40,291 --> 00:37:42,425
from one side of the Earth
to the other.
653
00:37:42,460 --> 00:37:44,828
And what we're waiting for are
the seismic waves to hit
654
00:37:44,862 --> 00:37:48,031
those distant seismometers
and then for their data
655
00:37:48,065 --> 00:37:50,567
to be transmitted via satellite
at the speed of light.
656
00:37:50,601 --> 00:37:53,570
Keep going for 1.5 kilometers.
657
00:37:53,604 --> 00:37:55,005
Yeah, go down here.
658
00:37:55,039 --> 00:37:58,775
And these data arrive
in Golden, Colorado,
659
00:37:58,809 --> 00:38:02,112
and then they're processed
to find out how big
660
00:38:02,146 --> 00:38:05,315
and exactly where and how deep
the earthquake was.
661
00:38:05,349 --> 00:38:07,117
NARRATOR:
The shaking is intense enough
662
00:38:07,151 --> 00:38:09,919
to send people running
out of buildings,
663
00:38:09,954 --> 00:38:14,357
bodies of water
sloshed in waves.
664
00:38:14,392 --> 00:38:15,458
Whoa!
665
00:38:15,493 --> 00:38:16,493
That was enormous!
666
00:38:16,527 --> 00:38:18,528
It's a 7.4.
667
00:38:18,562 --> 00:38:19,562
My goodness!
668
00:38:19,597 --> 00:38:24,067
So, this is only
a little bit smaller
669
00:38:24,101 --> 00:38:25,568
than the main shock.
670
00:38:25,603 --> 00:38:28,004
No wonder people were scared.
671
00:38:28,039 --> 00:38:29,572
The main shock was 7.8.
672
00:38:29,607 --> 00:38:32,442
This was 7.4, which means
the energy released
673
00:38:32,476 --> 00:38:34,944
is four times less,
674
00:38:34,979 --> 00:38:38,114
but to the terrified inhabitants
of this city,
675
00:38:38,149 --> 00:38:40,216
the impact was just the same.
676
00:38:40,251 --> 00:38:43,853
(woman screaming,
people shouting)
677
00:38:43,888 --> 00:38:46,956
BILHAM: It was 83
kilometers from Kathmandu.
678
00:38:46,991 --> 00:38:49,726
It was near Mount Everest.
679
00:38:49,760 --> 00:38:53,196
So that will have produced an
enormous amount of avalanches.
680
00:38:53,230 --> 00:38:54,964
It's really tragic.
681
00:38:54,999 --> 00:38:57,767
NARRATOR: Roger concludes
it's an aftershock
682
00:38:57,802 --> 00:38:59,703
to the east of the main shock,
683
00:38:59,737 --> 00:39:02,105
a section of the fault that
hadn't moved enough
684
00:39:02,139 --> 00:39:03,273
and was catching up,
685
00:39:03,307 --> 00:39:08,011
releasing as much energy
as a 25-megaton bomb.
686
00:39:08,045 --> 00:39:10,413
BILHAM:
This aftershock was big enough
687
00:39:10,448 --> 00:39:12,315
to be a main shock
in its own right.
688
00:39:12,350 --> 00:39:14,951
Let's go and talk
to the survey department.
689
00:39:16,387 --> 00:39:18,188
It was magnitude 7.4!
690
00:39:18,222 --> 00:39:23,026
NARRATOR: When an earthquake
strikes, scientists need to know
691
00:39:23,060 --> 00:39:26,763
not only the magnitude
at the epicenter,
692
00:39:26,797 --> 00:39:30,934
but also the intensity of the
shaking felt in each village.
693
00:39:30,968 --> 00:39:33,470
Roger and David Breashears fly
over the region.
694
00:39:33,504 --> 00:39:36,272
BREASHEARS:
Roger's mission was
695
00:39:36,307 --> 00:39:39,642
by looking at buildings and
the way that they had held up,
696
00:39:39,677 --> 00:39:41,578
he could determine
the shake intensity.
697
00:39:41,612 --> 00:39:43,146
It's the velocity
698
00:39:43,180 --> 00:39:45,982
at what the surface of the earth
was moving at and the frequency.
699
00:39:46,016 --> 00:39:51,521
There were no instruments in
these mountain areas
700
00:39:51,555 --> 00:39:53,123
to measure the shake intensity,
701
00:39:53,157 --> 00:39:56,593
but Roger knows
how to determine that
702
00:39:56,627 --> 00:39:58,928
by what happened to buildings.
703
00:39:58,963 --> 00:40:01,598
BILHAM: We needed to
get out here quickly
704
00:40:01,632 --> 00:40:03,266
because in the days following
an earthquake,
705
00:40:03,300 --> 00:40:04,968
people already start
cleaning up.
706
00:40:05,002 --> 00:40:07,103
You don't leave a pile of rubble
in your front yard.
707
00:40:07,138 --> 00:40:09,472
So, we lose some of the clues
that we need
708
00:40:09,507 --> 00:40:11,875
to understand why
the buildings fell down.
709
00:40:11,909 --> 00:40:14,010
NARRATOR:
They maneuver close to villages
710
00:40:14,044 --> 00:40:18,047
so David can shoot
high-resolution photos.
711
00:40:18,082 --> 00:40:21,184
BREASHEARS: We'll be able
to zoom in on those images
712
00:40:21,218 --> 00:40:23,720
and even look at such fine
detail that you can just see
713
00:40:23,754 --> 00:40:27,157
bricks or stacked fieldstone
714
00:40:27,191 --> 00:40:32,462
and from that Roger was able
to make a determination.
715
00:40:32,496 --> 00:40:35,298
NARRATOR:
Using a shake intensity scale,
716
00:40:35,332 --> 00:40:38,735
Roger puts a value
between one and ten
717
00:40:38,769 --> 00:40:41,905
on the observable damage
produced in each village.
718
00:40:41,939 --> 00:40:46,843
If crockery falls off a shelf,
it's intensity six.
719
00:40:46,877 --> 00:40:51,915
Poorly made buildings will
partially collapse at seven,
720
00:40:51,949 --> 00:40:53,249
but they'll flatten at eight.
721
00:40:53,284 --> 00:40:57,320
Total destruction would result
from intensity ten.
722
00:40:57,354 --> 00:41:00,890
This scale informs engineers
723
00:41:00,925 --> 00:41:02,692
rebuilding
for the next big quake.
724
00:41:02,726 --> 00:41:08,665
Over 770,000 buildings were
either damaged or flattened
725
00:41:08,699 --> 00:41:10,333
by this earthquake.
726
00:41:10,367 --> 00:41:14,304
Why did some collapse
and others survive?
727
00:41:16,140 --> 00:41:19,609
There's a clue in the heart
of Kathmandu.
728
00:41:19,643 --> 00:41:23,213
Durbar Square experienced
intensity seven shaking.
729
00:41:23,247 --> 00:41:27,383
It's a World Heritage site
turned to rubble.
730
00:41:27,418 --> 00:41:30,386
But the dust-laden debris,
731
00:41:30,421 --> 00:41:33,823
dating back to the sixth
century, holds a secret.
732
00:41:33,858 --> 00:41:36,326
KAI WEISE: The big earthquakes
only come every 80 to 100 years
733
00:41:36,360 --> 00:41:38,595
so there's a generation gap
very often
734
00:41:38,629 --> 00:41:39,996
and then they have to relearn
735
00:41:40,030 --> 00:41:43,132
the need to protect themselves.
736
00:41:43,167 --> 00:41:45,134
After the last earthquake,
I mean,
737
00:41:45,169 --> 00:41:49,138
we were still reconstructing
after 80 years.
738
00:41:49,173 --> 00:41:52,642
Initially, it was just a shock
to see on the news
739
00:41:52,676 --> 00:41:56,613
all these images,
and it's just unbelievable.
740
00:41:56,647 --> 00:41:59,516
But then it slowly sinks in and
you sort of have to accept
741
00:41:59,550 --> 00:42:04,354
the fact, you know, what kind of
destruction there has been.
742
00:42:04,388 --> 00:42:08,157
NARRATOR: Coronations of kings
have taken place here...
743
00:42:08,192 --> 00:42:10,460
five acres and ten courtyards,
744
00:42:10,494 --> 00:42:14,464
dominated by the white
19th century portion
745
00:42:14,498 --> 00:42:17,467
of the neoclassical
Hanuman Dhoka palace,
746
00:42:17,501 --> 00:42:22,972
the newer wing of the original
palace, built in the 1770s.
747
00:42:23,007 --> 00:42:24,240
The palace presides
748
00:42:24,275 --> 00:42:27,777
over some of Kathmandu's
oldest living temples.
749
00:42:27,811 --> 00:42:30,847
WEISE: Most of these temples
are still being used
750
00:42:30,881 --> 00:42:33,950
and they have religious value as
well as purely cultural value.
751
00:42:36,554 --> 00:42:40,823
NARRATOR: This undated stone
image of Kal Bhairav,
752
00:42:40,858 --> 00:42:44,561
the Hindu god of justice,
has survived many quakes.
753
00:42:44,595 --> 00:42:47,931
Out here, we see that two of
these tiered temples
754
00:42:47,965 --> 00:42:52,001
on these platforms
have totally collapsed.
755
00:42:52,036 --> 00:42:54,604
Very clearly these two temples
sort of create
756
00:42:54,638 --> 00:42:55,738
this whole space here,
757
00:42:55,773 --> 00:42:58,274
which is a part of the identity
of the city.
758
00:42:58,309 --> 00:43:01,611
They went in with heavy
machinery to clear it up
759
00:43:01,645 --> 00:43:03,980
and the problem is heavy
machinery impacts
760
00:43:04,014 --> 00:43:06,883
all of the material that could
be reused later on.
761
00:43:06,917 --> 00:43:09,819
But we've tried to salvage
762
00:43:09,853 --> 00:43:12,655
as much of this material
as possible.
763
00:43:12,690 --> 00:43:14,324
There are all these different
elements
764
00:43:14,358 --> 00:43:17,360
and I think they have been mixed
up between the temples
765
00:43:17,394 --> 00:43:19,295
and that will be a major
challenge
766
00:43:19,330 --> 00:43:20,697
just trying to figure out
767
00:43:20,731 --> 00:43:22,632
where these different elements
came from.
768
00:43:22,666 --> 00:43:25,768
NARRATOR: Damage assessment
of heritage buildings
769
00:43:25,803 --> 00:43:28,538
requires detective work.
770
00:43:28,572 --> 00:43:31,608
The skin of a centuries-old
palace can hide
771
00:43:31,642 --> 00:43:33,109
the true structure within.
772
00:43:33,143 --> 00:43:36,579
Why is the old palace
still intact,
773
00:43:36,614 --> 00:43:39,816
while the newer, white palace
walls must be shored up?
774
00:43:39,850 --> 00:43:41,084
WIESE:
So we were scared
775
00:43:41,118 --> 00:43:42,752
that that would
actually collapse,
776
00:43:42,786 --> 00:43:45,788
and if it would, it would bring
that whole corner down...
777
00:43:49,259 --> 00:43:52,629
NARRATOR: The white plaster-faced
building is failing.
778
00:43:52,663 --> 00:43:54,564
Both are brick construction
779
00:43:54,598 --> 00:43:57,634
and have suffered
through past earthquakes.
780
00:43:57,668 --> 00:44:01,571
Randolph Langenbach is
a conservation architect.
781
00:44:01,605 --> 00:44:04,841
He travels to earthquake zones
to find out what makes
782
00:44:04,875 --> 00:44:07,477
some traditional buildings
earthquake-resistant.
783
00:44:09,179 --> 00:44:13,983
NARRATOR: Randolph finds timber
hidden within the brick façade.
784
00:44:14,018 --> 00:44:17,687
It's not just a single timber,
but it essentially is
785
00:44:17,721 --> 00:44:20,356
like placing a ladder
onto the wall.
786
00:44:20,391 --> 00:44:22,291
In other words this cross piece
is very much a part
787
00:44:22,326 --> 00:44:23,826
of the system.
788
00:44:23,861 --> 00:44:26,696
WIESE: So you have the beams
on the inside and outside.
789
00:44:26,730 --> 00:44:29,699
And then it's held together with
this one, which goes through,
790
00:44:29,733 --> 00:44:32,435
so that it basically ties
the wall together.
791
00:44:32,469 --> 00:44:33,636
You know what's interesting?
792
00:44:33,671 --> 00:44:35,138
You know what I realized?
793
00:44:35,172 --> 00:44:38,207
It's a frame,
timberframe structure.
794
00:44:38,242 --> 00:44:39,909
Yeah, yeah, yeah,
you can see the woodwork
795
00:44:39,943 --> 00:44:41,644
going all the way through
the ground floor.
796
00:44:41,679 --> 00:44:43,119
And in one corner,
probably one of...
797
00:44:43,147 --> 00:44:44,113
Vertical woodwork.
798
00:44:44,148 --> 00:44:45,314
Yes, yes, yes!
799
00:44:45,349 --> 00:44:46,349
And it's tied together.
800
00:44:46,383 --> 00:44:48,518
Then it answers the question.
801
00:44:48,552 --> 00:44:50,253
It answers why it behaved...
802
00:44:50,287 --> 00:44:52,855
it had a different
sympathetic motion.
803
00:44:52,890 --> 00:44:54,791
Because this is
a frame structure.
804
00:44:54,825 --> 00:44:57,226
It's actually more flexible.
805
00:44:57,261 --> 00:45:01,130
And it's rocking back and forth
essentially as a solid unit.
806
00:45:01,165 --> 00:45:04,267
So it can't travel with this
807
00:45:04,301 --> 00:45:07,503
and it broke everything up
around it, but it stayed intact.
808
00:45:07,538 --> 00:45:10,940
NARRATOR: It's the timbers
hidden within the brick masonry
809
00:45:10,974 --> 00:45:15,144
that laces the older palace
together, holding it firm
810
00:45:15,179 --> 00:45:18,347
yet elastic enough to withstand
an earthquake.
811
00:45:18,382 --> 00:45:19,916
WIESE:
So here the beautiful thing is
812
00:45:19,950 --> 00:45:22,118
that they also started
to put in ornamentation
813
00:45:22,152 --> 00:45:25,488
within the latticework.
814
00:45:25,522 --> 00:45:27,957
Up here you can see these beams.
815
00:45:27,991 --> 00:45:30,460
They're tied
with the wooden pegs.
816
00:45:30,494 --> 00:45:34,363
And now that is to hold
the brickwork.
817
00:45:34,398 --> 00:45:36,766
This is really traditional
earthquake technology.
818
00:45:36,800 --> 00:45:39,969
NARRATOR: This combination of
timberlacing with brick was not used
819
00:45:40,003 --> 00:45:43,072
in the more recently constructed
white palace,
820
00:45:43,107 --> 00:45:45,041
which is on the verge
of collapse.
821
00:45:45,075 --> 00:45:48,678
WIESE: They had to develop this
system of combining the wood
822
00:45:48,712 --> 00:45:50,246
with the brickwork
823
00:45:50,280 --> 00:45:53,316
and it took centuries
for them to develop this
824
00:45:53,350 --> 00:45:56,886
and it became the traditional
system of construction,
825
00:45:56,920 --> 00:46:00,356
but then later on they forgot
these lessons.
826
00:46:00,390 --> 00:46:03,426
NARRATOR: For the two million
Nepalis faced with rebuilding
827
00:46:03,460 --> 00:46:06,796
their homes, this critical
lesson in protecting themselves
828
00:46:06,830 --> 00:46:09,699
must be relearned.
829
00:46:09,733 --> 00:46:12,835
But wood in remote villages
is often not available.
830
00:46:12,870 --> 00:46:17,406
So how can the millions
who live in fieldstone villages
831
00:46:17,441 --> 00:46:19,542
build earthquake-resistant
homes?
832
00:46:19,576 --> 00:46:22,845
BILHAM: The village construction
practices have to use
833
00:46:22,880 --> 00:46:24,213
indigenous materials.
834
00:46:24,248 --> 00:46:27,650
They don't have access
to cement.
835
00:46:27,684 --> 00:46:29,018
Bricks are not available.
836
00:46:29,052 --> 00:46:30,486
Instead they use local stones
837
00:46:30,521 --> 00:46:33,790
and they do not adhere to the
cement that they have to use,
838
00:46:33,824 --> 00:46:35,391
which is mud.
839
00:46:35,425 --> 00:46:36,893
And mud is incredibly weak.
840
00:46:36,927 --> 00:46:41,030
Some of the structures that
survived have wooden tie beams
841
00:46:41,064 --> 00:46:44,267
around the walls that have held
them together.
842
00:46:44,301 --> 00:46:45,968
NARRATOR: One of the
hardest-hit districts,
843
00:46:46,003 --> 00:46:48,771
close to the epicenter,
is Dhading.
844
00:46:48,806 --> 00:46:52,241
Randolph is on a mission
to rebuild a home
845
00:46:52,276 --> 00:46:57,647
that is earthquake-resistant,
using local materials.
846
00:46:57,681 --> 00:47:01,884
The right consistency of mud,
hardware wire and stone
847
00:47:01,919 --> 00:47:05,321
is all that's needed
for a safe home
848
00:47:05,355 --> 00:47:08,758
made in the traditional style
for much of Nepal.
849
00:47:08,792 --> 00:47:10,326
The wire was purchased
850
00:47:10,360 --> 00:47:12,161
at the nearest hardware store
and carried in.
851
00:47:12,196 --> 00:47:13,396
LANGENBACH:
One thing they had
852
00:47:13,430 --> 00:47:18,034
was wire fencing for keeping
the animals in.
853
00:47:18,068 --> 00:47:19,969
The idea came to my mind.
854
00:47:20,003 --> 00:47:23,005
Well, why not use the wire?
855
00:47:23,040 --> 00:47:25,308
NARRATOR:
Randolph's idea is to install
856
00:47:25,342 --> 00:47:29,145
a reinforcing element
he calls "gabion bands"
857
00:47:29,179 --> 00:47:31,280
right into the masonry walls,
858
00:47:31,315 --> 00:47:33,783
just like
the Hanuman Dhoka Palace.
859
00:47:33,817 --> 00:47:36,886
Gabion is a wire cage
filled with rocks.
860
00:47:36,920 --> 00:47:38,588
We need 22 feet.
861
00:47:38,622 --> 00:47:43,492
NARRATOR: Structural engineer Dipendra
Gautam trains local stonemasons
862
00:47:43,527 --> 00:47:46,495
to use gabion bands as
a substitute for timber bands.
863
00:47:53,237 --> 00:47:56,806
NARRATOR: The homes in this
region suffered intense damage.
864
00:47:56,840 --> 00:48:00,409
Ninety percent have
to be rebuilt.
865
00:48:00,444 --> 00:48:03,713
Add a simple band that ties
the walls together,
866
00:48:03,747 --> 00:48:07,850
even with bicycle tubes,
and the building might hold.
867
00:48:07,885 --> 00:48:11,754
LANGENBACH: They needed to have some
tensile reinforcement in the walls,
868
00:48:11,788 --> 00:48:16,692
and the traditional way of doing
that was in the series of bands.
869
00:48:16,727 --> 00:48:19,695
NARRATOR: Each wire band has a
layer of stone and mud mortar
870
00:48:19,730 --> 00:48:21,230
placed onto it.
871
00:48:21,265 --> 00:48:26,068
This is wrapped into a cage and
all four walls of the building
872
00:48:26,103 --> 00:48:30,339
are tied together to form what
engineers call a ring beam.
873
00:48:30,374 --> 00:48:36,279
LANGENBACH: The band seemed to be
something that could be hand-carried in.
874
00:48:36,313 --> 00:48:42,218
It could be understood by people
in a short explanation.
875
00:48:42,252 --> 00:48:48,724
NARRATOR: This will be home for a
man named Ram, who is a Dalit,
876
00:48:48,759 --> 00:48:50,693
the lowest caste in Nepal.
877
00:48:50,727 --> 00:48:53,429
His father committed suicide
last year,
878
00:48:53,463 --> 00:48:56,766
and the earthquake then
destroyed Ram's home.
879
00:48:56,800 --> 00:49:03,005
GAUTAM:
880
00:49:13,884 --> 00:49:17,420
(boy laughing)
881
00:49:17,454 --> 00:49:19,288
LANGENBACH:
The timberlacing that we saw
882
00:49:19,323 --> 00:49:23,526
in the 18th century part
of the Hanuman Dhoka palace...
883
00:49:23,560 --> 00:49:26,395
and those parts have survived
almost entirely intact...
884
00:49:26,430 --> 00:49:30,099
is a way of giving
tensile strength to the wall.
885
00:49:30,133 --> 00:49:33,269
And this is a basic
engineering concept.
886
00:49:33,303 --> 00:49:38,207
This is not distant at all from
what engineers say is needed.
887
00:49:38,241 --> 00:49:41,510
NARRATOR: We know another
earthquake will come,
888
00:49:41,545 --> 00:49:43,212
maybe in two years
as an aftershock,
889
00:49:43,246 --> 00:49:48,150
or maybe the big one will
rupture from the west of Nepal.
890
00:49:48,185 --> 00:49:52,221
But Ram is now better prepared.
891
00:49:54,992 --> 00:50:00,463
This earthquake took nearly
9,000 lives, but Seema Tamang...
892
00:50:00,497 --> 00:50:03,933
who was buried under the rubble
of her home for 24 hours...
893
00:50:03,967 --> 00:50:05,634
survived the odds.
894
00:50:05,669 --> 00:50:07,103
How do you feel today?
895
00:50:07,137 --> 00:50:08,738
(translator speaking)
896
00:50:08,772 --> 00:50:11,707
NARRATOR: She had little hope of
recovering the use of her leg.
897
00:50:11,742 --> 00:50:13,642
But she wants to go back
to school
898
00:50:13,677 --> 00:50:17,613
and get there
on her own two feet.
899
00:50:17,647 --> 00:50:19,515
Having lived
through a megaquake,
900
00:50:19,549 --> 00:50:21,717
the first of their lifetimes,
901
00:50:21,752 --> 00:50:24,954
are the people of Nepal
now more prepared to face
902
00:50:24,988 --> 00:50:26,756
their seismic future?
903
00:50:26,790 --> 00:50:29,825
BILHAM: This earthquake acted
as a kind of a Rosetta stone,
904
00:50:29,860 --> 00:50:33,396
interpreting all previous
earthquakes, and I'm sure
905
00:50:33,430 --> 00:50:35,531
we are going to see
enormous headway
906
00:50:35,565 --> 00:50:36,932
as a result of this earthquake.
907
00:50:36,967 --> 00:50:39,402
Not only from the seismological
point of view,
908
00:50:39,436 --> 00:50:42,872
but from the philanthropic
point of view,
909
00:50:42,906 --> 00:50:44,440
and earthquake engineering,
910
00:50:44,474 --> 00:50:45,908
and what kind
of buildings we need
911
00:50:45,942 --> 00:50:47,877
to survive the next earthquake.
912
00:50:47,911 --> 00:50:52,815
NARRATOR: The pent-up tectonic
stress miles beneath the Himalayas
913
00:50:52,849 --> 00:50:54,083
continues to build.
914
00:50:54,117 --> 00:50:55,785
Can you lift your toe?
915
00:50:55,819 --> 00:50:57,553
This one?
916
00:50:57,587 --> 00:50:59,889
And now this one.
917
00:50:59,923 --> 00:51:01,157
Straighten the good one.
918
00:51:01,191 --> 00:51:02,458
Straight.
919
00:51:02,492 --> 00:51:03,692
Oh, look at that!
920
00:51:03,727 --> 00:51:05,327
They both go straight.
921
00:51:05,362 --> 00:51:08,064
So that means this quadriceps
muscle is working,
922
00:51:08,098 --> 00:51:09,231
which is good.
923
00:51:09,266 --> 00:51:11,534
NARRATOR:
Living with large earthquakes
924
00:51:11,568 --> 00:51:14,937
is a reality for the people
of the Himalaya,
925
00:51:14,971 --> 00:51:17,406
since they happen in Nepal
about every hundred years.
926
00:51:17,441 --> 00:51:21,577
Thankfully, the earthquake
wasn't that big.
927
00:51:21,611 --> 00:51:23,012
Tragic, yes.
928
00:51:23,046 --> 00:51:28,784
But, let's see if we can't learn
now from this earthquake
929
00:51:28,819 --> 00:51:32,021
to help us get prepared for that
next big one, whenever it comes.
930
00:51:32,055 --> 00:51:34,256
GARDNER:
This is fantastic!
931
00:51:34,291 --> 00:51:35,571
Come back here, sweetie.
932
00:51:38,161 --> 00:51:39,161
I'm so happy for you.
933
00:51:39,196 --> 00:51:40,162
This is great!
934
00:51:40,197 --> 00:51:41,330
This is really good.
935
00:51:41,364 --> 00:51:44,433
NARRATOR: Nepal is a nation
that will walk again,
936
00:51:44,468 --> 00:51:47,470
because this earthquake not only
tells a story about the past,
937
00:51:47,504 --> 00:51:50,773
but about the inevitable
seismic perils
938
00:51:50,807 --> 00:51:53,876
that will come in the future.
939
00:52:07,390 --> 00:52:09,825
The investigation
continues online,
940
00:52:23,273 --> 00:52:26,142
This NOVA program
is available on DVD.
941
00:52:26,176 --> 00:52:31,380
To order, visit shopPBS.org,
or call 1-800-PLAY-PBS.
942
00:52:31,414 --> 00:52:34,049
NOVA is also available
for download on iTunes.