Sukumaya Roka - Earthquake Survivor

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Authors

Laura Walker

Issue Date

2016-04

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en

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Disasters

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Sukumaya Roka is 87 years old and lives in the village of Chapani in Nepal. Her son is Setay Roka (see other case study). Sukumaya was in her house when the earthquake hit on 25th April 2015. She only just managed to get out as the house fell down around her. She hurt her shoulder and back when the house collapsed. She was carried on the back of another person from the community to a Dhodeni health post. This was a 90 minute journey. She was admitted for one day and was carried back to the village. She said it was “so hard to cope with”. She slept in a field for 4 months covered by Tarpaulin as her house had collapsed and she didn’t feel safe near the buildings. She couldn’t walk. Her son and daughter helped her survive by giving her small amounts of food and water when she was living in a field. The government gave her a one off payment (for elderly, single women) which relieved the situation a little. She now sleeps in an emergency shelter next to her son which Practical Action helped to build. In her room (approx. 3 metres by 3 metres) she lives with 5 other people (including her granddaughter-in-law and great grandchildren). Her son has to help provide food for her. He can only provide two small meals a day. She said this was the biggest earthquake in her lifetime. Nepal does have regular and smaller earthquakes but this was the most catastrophic. She is “very scared for the future” and just cannot articulate what is going to happen to her and her family. “She is worried she will be left alone and doesn’t know about the future”.

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