Engineering news
Structural engineer Joshua Macabuag spent two weeks with the Saraid (Search and Rescue Assistance in Disasters) charity in Katmandu.
An engineer returning from search and rescue operations in Nepal has spoken of his admiration for local people in the earthquake-hit country, many of whom are being forced to live in temporary outdoor camps and are still having to endure violent aftershocks.
Joshua Macabuag, a chartered structural engineer who is completing a doctorate at University College London, spent two weeks with the Saraid (Search and Rescue Assistance in Disasters) charity in Katmandu.
Macabuag's team were responsible for using search dogs, listening equipment and telescopic lenses to locate people trapped inside collapsed buildings. His efforts brought him into contact with local people, many of whom had lost their homes.
“The Nepalese people have been so resilient,” he said. “They were so grateful for international rescue efforts on the ground. They were so willing to help us – even though they had suffered.”
Macabuag and his Saraid colleagues flew into Katmandu at night, over remote rural areas located near the epicentre of the earthquake. “We could see flickering lights on the ground where people were cremating the deceased,” he said.
Katmandu was largely intact, but with pockets of devastation. The search and rescue teams worked with the officials from the Nepalese government to assess collapsed buildings for any signs of life. “It was tough, because only a few people were found alive by search and rescue teams on the ground,” he said.
Macabuag has now returned to the UK and could return to Katmandu if the Nepalese government requests more help.
He called on other qualified engineers to get involved with the Saraid charity to assist on future missions. “It's a big commitment, it needs to be taken seriously, and you are potentially putting yourself in harm's way. But competent and experienced structural engineers are needed on the ground in such situations, and their efforts are absolutely worthwhile,” he said.
For more information on Saraid, www.saraid.org.uk