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Jan 6, 2022
4 min read

Nepal Earthquake: Updates from KLL Situation Room, May 27

DP

Kathmandu Living Labs

Additional Set of Volunteers at QuakeMap

Yesterday, we highlighted the QuakeMap maxim of  "No report is left unclosed!" - meaning we are determined to see that all reports on QuakeMap get fully addressed. However, closing all 1800 reports takes time and resources. Thanks to Professional Development and Research Center (PDRC), we have an additional set of volunteers who just joined us.

We have seven new volunteers, five of them from PDRC, who joined QuakeMap volunteers' roster. Antoine Merci (a long time QuakeMap volunteer and also our featured Volunteer of the Day today) introduced our new volunteers to the QuakeMap process and trained them on placing calls and verifying reports  - tasks that they will be doing in the upcoming days at QuakeMap.

To make sure that our new volunteers are thoroughly acquainted with the QuakeMap verification process, we conducted drills in which they placed several mock calls within the QuakeMap team. Sometimes, they would place calls as QuakeMap verifiers and other times, they would be receiving calls as Earthquake survivors/victims. After they were comfortable with the process, our new volunteers then took charge and started dialing in at real people on the ground.

caption id="attachment_760" align="aligncenter" width="640"

New Volunteers at QuakeMap
](https://kllsites.sgp1.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/uploads/blogs_img/2015/05/20150526_1123181.jpg) Fig - QuakeMap's new volunteers in the act/caption

Indiegogo Crowdfunding Update

We have setup a crowdfunding campaign for raising US $ 50,000 to help us continue our works at QuakeMap.org and QuakeRelief.info. As of now, we are 18% funded and have received donations from 69 people. Please help us sustain our vital activities to coordinate post-earthquake relief efforts.

Join the Campaign!!

Featured Volunteer of the Day

Meet Antoine Merci from Canada. He has been dispensing his invaluable voluntary efforts at QuakeMap for several weeks now. He joined the QuakeMap team as a dispatcher - matching 'needs' in the QuakeMap reports to the relief efforts being provided by different organizations. He also keeps a tab on our report status; and most recently, he has also been training our newest batch of volunteers at QuakeMap. Let's hear it from Antoine himself.

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Antoine Merci
](https://kllsites.sgp1.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/uploads/blogs_img/2015/05/10698581_710530782358486_8247291402300055485_n.jpg) Antoine Mercier/caption

Who are you? I'm Antoine Mercier from Canada. This year I was sent to Kathmandu on a 9 months contract as a Human Resources Advisor. I also came in 2011 for a short contract in Bhaktapur. So I was living and working in Kathmandu from june 2014 to march 2015. The relevant parts of my time working here are:

  • I found love
  • I was introduced to Neil Horning.

What were you doing during the earthquake? I found a contract to return to Nepal on April 28th. The quake happened at around 2 am in East Canada. My mother woke me up a little before 5 am as Nepal was all over the news. I spent the first part of the day trying to contact all my loved ones there, but I could not get any news from my life partner. I quickly got a call to inform me that my contract was cancelled, as the program was put on hold due to the unknown risk level. One friend and I booked our plane tickets, and we reached TIA on April 28th at night. Meanwhile, I was able to get in touch with most of the people I know in Nepal. We assisted some quick distributions on the first weeks thanks to generous involvement from our friends and families, and the coordination of courageous partners here.

Why are you here? I was actively searching an edible coffee one morning after our distributions were done, when I met Neil again. After exchanging news, I asked if I could help in any way. He told me to be back two hours later. That was in front of Buzz Café. I was able to commit full time as I knew my loved ones were safe, and have been here since.

What has your experience been? I quickly realized the enormous potential of the quakemap tool, and I find every hour contributed has a significant chance of helping someone who is going through the most difficult event of her or his life. Being still unable to contact the people on the field in their first language, my role has been to translate what we learn from the field into an exact report page. I trust that the information that we provide can help responders to assist the needs timely. Constant awareness of the enormous urgent needs is both a great source of motivation and an unbearable sadness. I am looking forward to contribute the most I can.


DP
Kathmandu Living Labs

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