Soon after the 7.6 earthquake rocked the nation on April 25, 2015, all means of communication came to a halt. With people taking shelter under tents in whatever open spaces available, Radio Nepal was one medium that kept people updated on the quake and related information. And two voices — of its news anchor Komal Oli and seismologist Lok Bijaya Adhikari informed, updated and consoled the panicked Nepali citizens most of the time. And these two figures look back at their quake memories with The Himalayan Times. Work experience during the tremors I was on my way to an event at Rastriya Naach Ghar and had stopped at a gas station to fill fuel when the earthquake struck. So, I drove to Radio Nepal, Singha Durbar instead. There was an outcry and people were in distraught. Then, I felt it was my responsibility to provide information to people about the quake. So, I started working from the same day. I was in the evening shift. I was in direct contact with earthquake experts during the process and was taking calls from people. There was fear but I also took this an opportunity to serve the people — we were getting calls for help from places and we were coordinating with people concerned, and trying to ease their trauma. I was also scared, especially during the powerful aftershocks. I was tempted to run out of the studio while conversing with people over the phone who would scream, “Aayo (it is coming)”. But I would control myself and act calmly. It required lots of courage. Looking back at those days, now I wonder how I did it! Best and worst moments I got a call from a third-grader Renuka Tamang, who had called from her neighbour’s phone asking for help as her father was under rubble. It was heartbreaking but the scenes at Gongabu where Nepal Police and Armed Police Force were rescuing people was a positive sight. Daily routine then After getting up, I would freshen up and go for musical therapy and then to reporting. At 4:00 pm, I would reach office and by five or six, I would go on air till five or six in the next morning until other colleague took my place. After work, I would go to home and sleep for two or three hours. Feeling you had every time you returned home after duty I did experience some kind of trauma — the voices and cries of mothers and children of the phone conversations used to ring in my ears and memories. Does any experience of then affect you now? It took me few months to be okay. The trauma slowly faded with time. Musical therapy that I did in the earthquake affected areas and other concerts helped me overcome my trauma but I sometimes hear the voices and see the traumatic moments in my dreams. — Komal Oli, Senior Newscaster at Radio Nepal and Singer Work experience during the tremors The day on which Gorkha Earthquake occurred was a holiday. National Seismological Centre (NSC) used to be without duty officers. Out of office time we used to process earthquake from home. That day I came to office about 20 minutes after the main shock. Information about the epicentre, Barpak and magnitude was immediately shared with the National Emergency Operation Centre including media. All of us felt jolts inside the lab of NSC. We didn’t know what was happening outside. We were busy with processing the aftershocks. For the first 48 hours, we did not have anything to eat and drink. All the time we were busy with telephone calls and interviews. We were not prepared for such a big earthquake but fortunately, we could provide information. Disseminating information about the aftershocks was another challenge. It was difficult to update the website on time due to over hit. There were never ending phone calls. We did not have experience and training about crisis management. The usual and common questions were about the next aftershock and wanted assurance from us to stay inside the house. It was a hard time to tackle earthquake prediction from some institutes abroad and rumours among the public. We were always worried about the sharing of earthquake information to the public, authority concerned and the media. Best and worst moments BEST moments President’s visit to our lab even though the building had yellow sticker and live sharing of news through media as a responsible person of NSC were some good moments. There were many rumours about the capacity of the NSC but with time, we were able to clarify those rumours. There were 120,000 calls in one day in the toll free number and 80,000 hits in our mobile apps. Our website was at Top 14 in Nepal at that time. Worst moments News of casualties due to Gorkha earthquake, unexpected large May 12 aftershock, people panicking with rumours of potential bigger earthquake and people believing rumours of magnitudes given by different institutions were some bad incidents. Daily routine then I hardly spent nights at home — I would go only for changing clothes and taking bath. The days during earthquake were spent in information sharing, attending meeting, awareness programmes and seminars. I also spent time researching the earthquake and in official administrative works. Feeling you had every time you returned home after duty I always thought about future earthquakes in Nepal and our future. When I would return home, most of the time I used to be tired. However, I feel we were lucky to survive this earthquake because it was Saturday (schools and offices were closed), it was dry season (there is less chance of liquefaction), energy was high in low frequency wave in Kathmandu Valley (danger for tall buildings not for small buildings). Does any experience of then affect you now? There aren’t any such traumatic experiences regarding the Gorkha earthquake. But I remember people, who used to be in lab, running out from the building when aftershocks jolted Kathmandu, except our staff. NSC staff went close to the computer for processing without fearing the effects of earthquake. That was not because the office building is strong enough. This is because they remembered their duty. I also remember children who were psychologically disturbed after this earthquake. Lastly, I would like to share that people should understand that earthquake is our close friend which can’t be avoided. We should cope with it. An intense research is necessary to cope with earthquakes. I feel happy that people have understood the value of the National Seismological Centre. — Lok Bijaya Adhikari, Chief, National Seismological Centre