'Waiting for the big one' (#25) left me in a state of panic. It has projected an apocalyptic picture
of the valley after a magnitude 7 or 8 quake. It seems the aftermath will be more serious than the actual earthquake. No one can prevent an earthquake, but the time has come to think of earthquake safety and ready emergency and relief strategies. Recent quakes in El Salvador and Turkey have lessons for us: if we depend only on the gov-ernment's safety rules, all we can do is pray.

Ajay Das
Lalitpur