Another grim reminder
The devastating earthquake in Venezuela has once again laid bare a brutal truth: seconds of shaking can undo decades of life. Beyond the collapsed buildings and immediate death toll, the deep impact of an earthquake ripples through families, economies, and mental health for years.
For Kashmir, a region sitting in Seismic Zone V — the highest risk category in India — Venezuela’s tragedy is not distant news. It is a warning.
Earthquakes do not end when the tremors stop. First comes the human loss — lives cut short, families separated, children orphaned. Then comes the second wave: injury, trauma, and displacement.
Hospitals overflow, and survivors often live in tents through harsh seasons. In Venezuela, thousands are now homeless, with water, power, and medical systems crippled.
The economic shock follows. Homes, shops, schools, and heritage structures vanish in minutes. Livelihoods tied to those spaces disappear too. Rebuilding takes years and billions, diverting funds from education, health, and development. For daily-wage earners and small businesses, the loss of a shop or workshop can mean permanent poverty.
The psychological scar is less visible but equally severe. Aftershocks keep fear alive. Children develop anxiety, adults battle PTSD, and communities lose their sense of safety. Social networks fracture when neighbourhoods are scattered into relief camps. In a region like Kashmir, where memories of the 2005 quake that killed over 1,300 people still linger, the mental toll is well understood.
Kashmir lies on active fault lines of the Himalayan belt. Experts have long warned that a major earthquake here is a matter of when, not if. Yet preparedness remains uneven.
Many homes in Srinagar, Baramulla, and rural districts are built with heavy roofs and unreinforced masonry — the exact designs that turned deadly in 2005. Schools and hospitals, which become lifelines after a quake, are often not retrofitted to seismic standards.
Urban crowding adds to the risk. Narrow lanes block fire engines and ambulances. Encroachments on water bodies and flood channels increase secondary risks of fires and landslides after a quake. Meanwhile, public awareness is patchy. Few families have emergency kits, evacuation plans, or know the basic ‘Drop, Cover, Hold’ drill.
What the authorities need to stress is to work on strictly implementing the BIS seismic codes for all new construction. Old public buildings, especially schools and hospitals, need urgent structural audits and retrofitting.
Subsidies for earthquake-resistant housing in rural areas can save lives. Venezuela’s chaos shows that panic kills. Regular drills in schools, colleges, offices, and mohallas will build muscle memory.
Disaster management should be part of the school curriculum, not a one-day event. Besides, every family should keep an emergency kit — water, dry food, medicines, torch, radio, documents — and decide on a safe meeting point. Fixing heavy furniture, water heaters, and almirahs to walls prevents indoor injuries. These need to be promoted and people need to be informed about these measures.
Earthquakes’ cannot be prevented but preparations and precautions can help to minimise human loses and that is what matters.
