Sichuan Earthquake (2008)

On May 12, 2008, a major earthquake measuring 7.9 on the Richter scale struck Wenchuan County, Aba Prefecture, in China's Sichuan Province at 2:28 P.M. Nearly 70,000 people died, and 375,000 others were injured, according to the official government of China (GOC) figures; and 46.2 million people in a 440,000-square-kilometer area, which included 417 counties, 4,656 townships, and 47,789 villages, were affected by the earthquake, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Immediately after the earthquake struck, Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao arrived at the disaster scene to lead the coordination of emergency response ordered by resident Hu Jintao. Within a few hours after the earthquake, local disaster centers and a national network became involved in disaster response. Prime Minister Jiabao set up national disaster relief headquarters in the disaster-affected areas, and the National Committee for Disaster Reduction activated the highest level [Page 642]of emergency response, according to the National Plan on Emergency Response for Disaster Relief. The army, armed police and paramilitary forces, rescue and medical teams, and relief supplies were sent to the region. Nine working groups on earthquake relief, which included disaster relief and recue, basic needs, earthquake monitoring, health and epidemic prevention, public information, production recovery, infrastructure protection and reconstruction, water conservancy, and public security were established by State Council Earthquake Relief Headquarters. Fifteen million people were displaced, and 5 million became homeless. Therefore, no matter how effective the government was in its emergency response, the affected people needed more tents and temporary housing. Chinese appeal for assistance to the international community ensued, and donations from public, private, and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) throughout the world flowed into the region. The international media portrayed a positive image of the successful and vigorous, centrally coordinated emergency response. While China turned down disaster assistance teams from the United States, Canada, and Australia, it accepted disaster relief teams from Russia, Germany, Japan, Taiwan, and Singapore. More than 84,000 people were rescued, and 15 million were moved to safe areas during these collaborative efforts. WHO's 21st situation report states that no public health emergency or communicable disease occurred after the disaster. Nevertheless, Emily Chan underlines in her study, Untold Stories of the Sichuan Earthquake, that as a result of the openness, media access, and ease of information dissemination, the response to the Sichuan earthquake was better than the response to the 1976 Thangshan earthquake, which had the highest mortality rate in the 20th century.

The intensity of the May 12, 2008, earthquake destroyed this building on the road between Hanwang and Mianzhu in Sichuan, China. The 7.9-magnitude earthquake killed 70,000 people and injured 375,000 other

The United Nations (UN) resident coordinator conveyed his condolences to the Chinese government on behalf of the UN community, readied the UN Country [Page 643]Team (UNCT), and set up the UN Disaster Management Team (UNDMT) to coordinate the UN agencies' disaster relief operations once the Chinese government requested them. The UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) provided monetary help for its agencies to undertake, under the coordination of the UNCT, shelter and mass-care disaster relief operations.

...