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“...Community and Resilience among Sherpas in
the Post-Earthquake Everest Region
PasangYangjee Sherpa
In this article, I examine how residents of the
Mount Everest region of Nepal responded
after two major earthquakes occurred on
April 25th and May 12th, 2015. This article
is based on my participant-observation of
discussions among Sherpas, on-foot surveys
of earthquake damage, and the experiences of
residents, which I recorded in Pharak, between
the two major seismic events. I also reviewed
institutional activities and reports that
pertained to the Everest region and spoke at
length with other Sherpas. In these discussions,
the boundaries of 'community'were both fluid
and self-understood. A 'sense of community'
and 'resilience' emerged as salient themes, and
provided an analytical framework to understand
the Sherpa communities' responses to these
earthquakes. The case studies presented herein
are selected based on my direct engagement
with them. The narratives present critical social
responses...”
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“...discussions took place
in multiple locations, including social media sites, and
centered on the survey of loss, rescue, relief, and rebuild-
ing efforts. Sherpas in Khumbu, Pharak, Kathmandu, and
diaspora communities voluntarily engaged in these dis-
cussions. Social media sites, particularly Facebook, served
as indispensable platforms where residents could share
pictures and stories from their different locations. I also
conducted an on-foot survey from May 4-11, 2015, to assess
the earthquake damage and record the post-earthquake
experiences of Pharak residents. I also reviewed institu-
tional activities and reports that pertained to the Sherpas
of the Everest region.
Now, two years after the disaster, further reflection on
my discussions with other Sherpas illustrates that a ‘sense
of community’ and ‘resilience’ were the salient driving
forces for the community’s responses. As themes, a ‘sense
of community’ and ‘resilience’ provide theoretical frame-
work to understand how this community...”
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“...days it appeared that
only two villages were badly affected. The lack of access
to social media, and specific networks limited publicity
and ability to connect for villages like Jorsalle, Benkar, and
Gumela. Some villagers also consciously limited their pres-
ence on social media in order to not inflict pain on their
relatives living abroad.
My on-foot survey of the villages in Pharak showed that
the earthquake had unevenly affected the region. While
some villages suffered limited structural damage, others
were completely destroyed. For example, the Chaurikharka
VDCs Area (sq. km) Household Population Male Female
Chaurikharka 344.5 968 3709 1872 1837
Namche 431.3 480 1540 807 733
Khumjung 702.2 551 1912 913 999
Figure 2. Three VDCs of
the Mount Everest Region.
(Nepal Government Census
2011)
HIMALAYA Volume37,Number2 105...”
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“...Lukla, a
neighboring village, suffered comparatively minimal struc-
tural damage. However, the Lukla hospital, which stands
on top of a ridge, suffered substantial loss. Patients were
cared for in tents on the lawn during our visit.
In the beginning, those of us based outside the area sought
information about the condition of villages on our own,
through phone calls. We then publicly circulated the
information as quickly as possible on social media sites
to inform each other especially the Sherpa diaspora. Our
initial conversations, on and off Facebook, focused on how
to appropriately measure damage. How do we identify the
extent of damage in the villages? General consensus was
that damages were not uniform. Based on local estimates,
and consultations, villagers were able to identify if their
houses were fully damaged, partially damaged, or had
minor cracks. Creating common-sense categories to cover
the range of damage was a suitable solution in an emer-
gency situation. This data from villagers...”
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“... in the Everest region, focused
on monitoring and supporting schools throughout
Solukhumbu. A survey they conducted had revealed that
227 schools in the Solukhumbu district were damaged:
some were totally destroyed, and some sustained partial
damage and cracks. The Rebuild Earthquake Damaged
Solukhumbu Schools (REDSS) project was implemented
to reconstruct and repair school buildings in the district.
According to the Himalayan Trust Nepal website, as of
April 2017, REDSS had successfully completed their project
in seven schools (accessed on May 14, 2017).
The Local Tourism Economy
On July 15, 2015, two months after the second earthquake,
Miyamoto Inc., an international group of earthquake and
structural engineers, published a report titled Damage
Assessment of Everest Region. This assessment was pro-
posed by Intrepid Travel, the largest tour operator in
Nepal, and was conducted on behalf of the Government of
Nepal through the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil
Aviation (MoCTCA). In...”
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“...safety
evaluation. The report’s structural assessment of the
Everest region covering Khumbu and Pharak, north
of Lukla, reported:
Out of approximately 710 buildings, earthquake
damage of structural concern was observed in
120 buildings (17 percent); 83 percent of build-
ings can be given a green tag per ATC-20/ DUDBC
guidelines. It was found that most of the build-
ings that were damaged can feasibly be repaired
(Miyamoto 2015: 7).
These report results also highlight shortages of reconstruc-
tion materials, which have slowed the process of repair
and rebuilding. This report then recommends completing
a detailed risk-assessment study post-monsoon in order to
manage the identified risks associated with the geologic
hazard. It concludes, “The majority of accommodation
structures and trails have sustained minimal damage from
the April and May earthquake” (Miyamoto 2015: 9).
In Lhakpa Norbu Sherpa’s (2015) article in The Kathmandu
Post, a national daily newspaper, accessed online, a local
tourism...”
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“...About.
(accessed on May 14, 2017).
McFarlane, A. and F. Norris. 2006. Definitions and Concepts
in Disaster Research. In Methods for Disaster Mental Health
Research, edited by Fran H. Norris, Sandro Galea, Matthew
J. Friedman, and Patricia J. Watson, 3-19. New York:
Guilford Press.
McMillan, David W. and David M. Chavis. 1986. Sense of
Community: A Definition and Theory. Journal of Community
Psychology 14: 6-23.
Miyamoto. 2015. Damage Assessment of Everest Region
Nepal - July 15, 2015. (accessed on January 31, 2017).
Norris, F. H., S. P. Stevens, B. Pfefferbaum, K. F.Wyche
and R. L. Pfefferbaum. 2008. Community Resilience as
a Metaphor, Theory, Set of Capacities, and Strategy
for Disaster Readiness. American Journal of Community
Psychology 41(1-2): 127-150.
Rimizung Ghomba - Est. 1600s Facebook Page. Home.
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