ABSTRACT
The Gorkha earthquake sequence killed almost 9,000, injured 22,000 and devastated almost 800,000 homes. The earthquake experience changed me as a person and as a researcher. The word disaster 'comes from the Latin compound of dis-, or away, without, and astro, star or planet; literally, without a star'. This may be interpreted as being lost, or losing a guiding light. Community resilience may seem to be stronger in response to natural disasters than to other types of crisis such as a violent conflict. The perception that the disaster cause comes from outside the community helps to consolidate bonds between members to respond collectively to the crisis. Tread carefully. Sometimes no immediate response is the best response. Sometimes, reaching out and listening is best. People need to find their guiding star again on the basis of their culture, belief systems, support systems and lastly, in the midst of the uncertain earth.
