On April 25, 2015, a 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck Nepal. Following a second strong earthquake on May 12 (7.3 magnitude), as many as 450 aftershocks have shaken the country in the following months.
In a matter of seconds, nearly 9,000 people lost their lives and over 22,000 people were injured. According to the Government of Nepal, the earthquake sequence destroyed approximately 490,000 houses, and rendered another 265,000 houses uninhabitable. The earthquakes also triggered extensive landslides and avalanches causing further damage to structures and disruption in essential services.
The Government of Nepal led a team of international development partners in the extensive exercise -- the Post Disaster Needs Assessment (PDNA) -- to assess the damages and losses resulting from the earthquake events. The PDNA, conducted in less than one month, estimated US$7.1 billion in damage throughout the country. The disaster's impact on poverty, livelihood and output has been severe, as the poorest and the most vulnerable communities were hit the hardest. The government estimates that the disaster pushed nearly 1 million Nepalis back into poverty.