I think that the list of the items for an emergency, especially for disaster mentioned above can be really useful provided you are serious about it. Such items can be replaced by a new set every six month. The idea of creating your own network, keep informed to each other will also be very handy in case of earthquake like disaster. At least teach your kids what should they do if you are trapped inside the house and they become without adult family members around them. In USA, kids know POLICE and 911, but in Nepal both of them will not work. (I remember a bus accident in Prithvi Highway, where my own teacher died, the police who arrived very first did not help them, but snatched jewelery and killed some peoples to get their belongings. In Damauli, later I came to know a sub Inspector who made a huge amount of money from that accident, peoples around the town knew it and told me). A group of Thuggs will surely run around Kathmandu and you might be victim if your kids fall in wrong hand. Just let them know: whom to trust and whom not to trust. Well, some psychologists say that in the event of disaster gangsters might even behave good, but thuggs might not, as it was reported in the event of 9/11 that crimes in NY was reduced substantially for a few days. Now, lets talk about house in Nepal (based on personal observations). The concrete framed house in Nepal are usually 3-4 four storey, and are not heavily loaded because we don't have much furnitures or things to keep in. These structures are to carry only their own weight, as compared to live load. The walls are additional reinforcements to these buildings. So, a framed structure if it has a tie beam at DPC level, I hardly think the residents have to worry much, but they should try to escape as early as possible. Most of the structures even if fail, they need some reaction time (response time). But Masonary house without RC frames are vulnerable to collapse instantly especially if they are relatively tall: 2-3 storeys. A masonary walled house with a single story with RBC / RCC roof will also not collapse instantly because the roof slab works as a lateral force resistance, even if a section collapse the roof will some extra time to collapse. RBC can be dangerous because brick might split and fly like a tennis ball, but, RCC slab are relatively better. In any case, you will probably get half minute of time before it collapses , the response time (in small: not so tall buildings) . Masonary, espcially, the telia brick (nick name: Chinese brick e.g. produced by Harisiddhi Ita Karkhana or like that) and stones are highly vulnerable. The Chinese Brick don't have groove that traditional Nepali bricks have, so these traditional bricks though bad shaped, but are excellent bricks against lateral force during earthquake provided cement mortar joint is there. The risk in Kathmandu lies in core kathmandu where buildings are very old and floors are made of wooden planks which may not resist lateral earthquake force. Collapse of one building may result (like in that game D.... ) collapse in series and other reason for large number of death might be because of the scarcity of open space: where to escape? This was the question I asked to Bhawan Bibhag D. Director General, who was the sessson chair in that national conference of NEA. He did not have answer, answer was "you asked a good question". Thats it. After the session, he came towards me in corridor and introduced himself and tried to elaborate the answer .... "you asked a very important question .... blah blah .... we are trying hard .... to create open spaces. We always have scarcity of resources". In fact, our Kathmandu town planning office in KTM, gives permission to make house along a route that was supposed to be a road as planned in 70s, by paying Rs. 5,000 ghus to the planners. A friend of mine paid Rs. 5,000 and got a persmission...... How can you expect such mismatching....... Peoples will have to pay for it. No open spaces mean no way to escape. I remember the case in Damauli where I stayed for about 2 years after my SLC exam and I worked there as a primary teacher as pass time event. I had a great time. During that two year, I saw Damauli as one of the well planned town in Nepal. Unfortunately, the Jilla Savapati and his gang at that time sold the open spaces designed by israelis in 70s. I still remember that the original plan was so great that there used to be garage in each house and every house should be at least 1 m far from another house. But, in 80s the pakhe savapati did not have vision that peoples in 2000s will have car in this town too. He did not stick to garage system. There were Chowks for peoples and a lot of open spaces. He sold one after another in a couple of houndred rupees, not even thousand. Now, I wonder whether Damauli has even a fraction of the open space that the town planner designed at that time. Now, in Pokhara, the open spaces are gradually registered by politicians or Panchayat and later by Kangressies and UML. Whatever left was occupied by nakkali sukumbashies. Thanks to Americans later to Germans for the Cattle farm that occupies a major part of open land around my own village. Thats great thing. At least there is enough open space, so far. Kathmandu seriously needs open spaces and without enough open spaces, the death toll will go high because of lack of escape routes. Well, Kathmandu now is like Rome around the end of Romans, who cares, while everyone in power is trying to accumulate as much as they can. GP