2008 China Earthquake Blog

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-06-24 14:22

CHENGDU — China plans to turn the Tangjiashan “quake lake” into a scenic spot amid efforts to rebuild a county downstream, a local official said on Monday.

Experts were now studying how to develop the lake, which was formed by the May 12 earthquake, in a “comprehensive” and “scientific” way, said Chen Xingchun, secretary general of the Communist Party Committee of Mianyang City in the southwestern Sichuan Province.

“It will be an important part of rebuilding Beichuan county,” he told a press conference in the provincial capital.

The quake triggered massive landslides in Sichuan, blocking the flow of rivers and creating more than 30 unstable quake lakes that threatened millions downstream.

Tangjiashan, the largest of the lakes, had put 1.3 million at risk alone with its 250 million cubic meters of water before the drainage efforts succeeded earlier this month. This operation had forced the evacuation of more than 250,000 residents in Mianyang.

The Sichuan Provincial Department of Water Resources declared last week that 27 of the 34 quake lakes were no longer dangerous.

THREE YEARS TO REBUILD BEICHUAN

The quake left 15,645 people dead, 4,311 missing and 142,000 homeless in mountainous Beichuan, the area where the Qiang ethnic group are populated. About 80 percent of the buildings collapsed in the county, about 100 km east of the epicenter.

“The county was destroyed. We cannot rebuild it at the original site. We have to choose another location,” said Chen, also in charge of the rebuilding.

Prevention of geological disasters, the inheriting of the Qiangculture, supplies of water resources and other factors would be taken into consideration while selecting another county seat, he said.

“The final decision about a new site is yet to be made.”

Chen told reporters local authorities would spend three years building a new Beichuan, which would feature the distinctive Qiang culture, strong industry and tourism.

Beichuan is the only Qiang autonomous county in the country, but the quake almost destroyed its culture completely.

“We must preserve the Qiang culture while rebuilding the county,” Chen said.

The old county seat would also be developed into a scenic spot in future, he said.

ROAD TO SLOW RECOVERY

Currently, all the homeless in Beichuan have been given temporary shelter in tents or prefab homes at 364 resettlement locations, Chen said.

With the support of the eastern Shandong Province, local authorities planned to build 40,000 prefab homes, of which 8,781 had been finished.

Local government also allocated nearly 32 million yuan (4.7 million U.S. dollars) for the quake survivors as relief cash and 3.24 million yuan for relatives of the dead.

“The agricultural and industrial production are now recovering gradually,” Chen said.

Local farmers have planted 187,500 mu (12,500 hectares) of corn, rice and beans and 15,000 mu of vegetable after the quake.

A hydropower station has restarted operation and a concrete factory has started rebuilding.

“We have organized more than 1,200 people to work in Shandong and the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region,” Chen said.

The 8.0-magnitude quake centered in Wenchuan County had left 69,181 people dead, 374,171 injured, 18,498 missing and millions homeless as of Monday noon.

More than 13,000 aftershocks were reported after the devastating quake, with the strongest measuring 6.4 on the Richter scale.

In terms of the intensity and scope of destruction, the quake surpassed the 7.8-magnitude quake in 1976 in Tangshan, northern Hebei Province. That disaster claimed more than 240,000 lives.

Source: http://www.qianlong.com/2008-05-24 01:14:34

Translated by Lillian Wang

The story of “Dayu” in ancient China has been a household tale that which even he had passed through his home for three times he didn’t enter to see his wife and child, as he was so dedicated to the cause of dredging cannels at the time. While in the rescue teams to the massive earthquake disaster in Mianzhu, Deyang, Sichuan Province, there are many ‘DaYu’s, who don’t go back to their homes which they have passed through for dozens of times. Some of them have their grandfathers dead, or their parents injured and being in hospital, but hardly do they have time to care; as some don’t want to drop off the first rescue line, they pretend not to have heard of their families’ matters even if their relatives or leaders come to hasten their going back home…

PLA soldiers in Hanwang Town are having a rest.

Grandfather dead, parents injured, yet hardly have time to take care

“There is a solider whose home is in this Jinhua Town. He does search and rescue work here in the morning, and is dispatched to Hongbai Town to carry out other tasks in the afternoon,” When QianlongNet was carrying out a further interview into the army, one officer from PLA ‘ Air force told the reporter that the soldier was named Li Shaojie, 21. His grandfather died unfortunately in the disaster and his parents were injured, now in the hospital. Although he has been working in the very near spot to his home, he hasn’t even mentioned going back to see his family.

Furthermore the officer indicated that not until they were landed in the airport did Li get to know that it was his hometown where they were to rescue. During the rescuing days, Li took part in the rescue work actively, regardless of hardness and tiredness. Being familiar with the local mountain terrain in Longbao Ping, despite it was far and hazard, he introduced himself there.

Li’s army is a tough one.

Sister asks the leader to hasten the soldier’s going back home, while he pretends not to have heard.

Chenjun, monitor of Class 1in Zhoukou middle team of fire fighting commando, Henan Province, was also born in Hanwang Town, Mianzhu. As soon as he got to know the earthquake disaster in Wenchuan, Sichuan Province, he initiated to join in the rescue work. According to Chen’s instructor, at that time, the commando was carrying out the rescue work in Hanwang Town, Mianzhu, and Chen’s home was just two miles away from their residence. In this massive earthquake, all six rooms of Chen’s house were collapsed. Hearing the news from his parents, Chen consoled them that there were far more families suffering more, and that they should take care of themselves. He then turned back to join the rescue work.

Every day, from the residence place to the rescue spot in Hanwang Town, he passes through his home, but never has he gone back home. Considering the Aged parents, Chen’s sister came all the way to see him and told him the detailed situation of his family, and wishes he could come back to have a look. However, without saying anything, Chen sent his sister away. Ma Xinhua, vice captain of Zhoukou branch team, also tried to persuade him to go back home to see his family, but he always replied, “It doesn’t matter. Just wait after the work finishes.”

Source: http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2008-06/19/content_6779033.htm
Updated: 2008-06-19 19:41

DUJIANGYAN - The Sichuan Branch of the State Development Bank (SDB) signed an agreement Wednesday with the Dujiangyan municipal government to provide a special loan of 700 million yuan (US$101 million) for the revival of the earthquake-hit tourism sector in Dujiangyan.

The money will be used for the reconstruction of the infrastructure damaged in the Mount Qingcheng-Dujiangyan scenic spot, said Wei Wei, president of the SDB Sichuan branch.

Sixty-five cultural relics under State protection and 119 under provincial protection in Sichuan province were severely damaged as a result of the earthquake. According to the State Administration of Cultural Heritage, the Erwang Temple and Mount Qingcheng in Dujiangyan are among the worst hit.

The Erwang Temple, which translates as ‘Temple of Two Kings’, is located in Lidui Park which houses Dujiangyan, the world’s oldest irrigation project still in operation.

The temple was built 2,000 years ago to honour Li Bing, the then governor of Sichuan and his son for their contribution to the construction of Dujiangyan. It collapsed in the quake.

At Mount Qingcheng, the birthplace of Taoism, China’s only indigenous religion, several ancient buildings are in danger of collapsing.

Like the Dujiangyan Irrigation Project, which was built around 256 BC, Mount Qingcheng is a world heritage site.

Wednesday also witnessed the opening of a fast track by the SDB Sichuan branch to offer loans to Dujiangyan after the branch signed an agreement with the Dujiangyan municipal government to provide a mid- and long-term loan of 20 million yuan (US$2.9 million) for the reconstruction of high schools in Dujiangyan.

Earlier, the branch provided Dujiangyan with an emergency loan of 10 million yuan (US$1.4 million) for earthquake relief and a loan of 450 million yuan (US$65 million) for the reconstruction of damaged houses in the city to shelter 7,000 people, said Dujiangyan mayor Xu Xingguo.

The branch has long supported Dujiangyan’s reconstruction. By the end of last month, it had also pledged loans surpassing 7 billion yuan (US$1 billion) for the construction of the city’s infrastructure, water conservancy and communications, he said.

(Xinhua)Updated: 2008-06-23 17:33

Source:http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2008-06/23/content_6787585.htm

DUJIANGYAN, Sichuan — More than 70,000 primary and middle school students resumed classes in temporary schools on Monday in Dujiangyan City, six weeks after the devastating Sichuan earthquake.

The five-star national flag was hoisted at the Wanchuan Middle School as 7,000 students and teachers observed the routine of a Chinese school day.

“The temporary school was built within 17 days to allow classes to resume for the students and teachers from six schools, which were toppled in the massive earthquake,” said Liu Junlin, Communist Party chief of Dujiangyan, who attended the opening ceremony.

Liu said that Wanchuan is the biggest of the 45 temporary schools built after the earthquake, which together could accommodate all the students of the 92 schools in Dujiangyan before the earthquake. The city was among the worst hit areas in the disaster.

The largest temporary school in Dujiangyan has its origin in its name of “Wanchuan”, as the character “Wan” stands for Anhui Province and “Chuan” for the quake-ravaged Sichuan Province.

The 45 temporary schools in Dujiangyan City were built with 110 million yuan ($16 million) in donations from the east China province of Anhui, which also contributed lesson materials.

“We will continue to help with the reconstruction work in Dujiangyan,” said Sun Jinlong, a representative of the city government of Hefei, the provincial capital of Anhui.

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-06-19 06:41

CHENGDU — A total of 72,000 people in quake-hit Wenchuan County of Sichuan Province, whose lives were threatened by secondary disasters including landslide, have been relocated hours before it started to rain on Wednesday night.

The three-day mass relocation concluded at 8 p.m., said the Aba prefectural work team of disaster prevention, just two hours before a heavy rain hit the county.

Emergency workers have built 2,458 makeshift houses and 34,000 tents for the displaced people.

The Aba prefectural government started the relocation of 110,000residents, including 72,000 in Wenchuan, from highly-dangerous terrain on Sunday.

Wu Zegang, deputy party secretary of Aba, said  the risks of inundation and geological disasters such as landslide will rise in the looming main flood season.

“The top priority of our relief work is to transfer the residents whose lives are menaced by secondary disasters to safer areas,” Wu said.

Aba Prefecture, inhabited mainly by Tibetans and people of the Qiang ethnic group governs 13 counties including Wenchuan, the epicenter of the quake.

The powerful 8.0 magnitude quake struck Sichuan Province with Wenchuan as its epicenter. In Wenchuan alone, 15,941 people were killed, leaving 7,662 missing and 34,583 injured.

Song Xinyi, the baby girl trapped for 32 hours after earthquake, and made Prime Minister Wen Jiabao yielded on her way to treatment, is recovering well now in a Nanjing hospital.

Xinyi was just rescued.

On the road to safety.

Recovering in hospital.

Unfortunately, the girl lost her right leg.

The local government and experts have finalized the selection of new site for Beichuan city, which was totally destroyed in the devastating earthquake at May 12, 2008.  Please see this post for a recent witness of the city 4 weeks after earthquake and totally evacuated and closed for sanitary and security reason. The new site is located in a nearby county, An Xian. The place is called Bandengqiao. The small town was almost intact after the earthquake and is expected to provide a safe start for the rebuild of Beichuan. It is also expected that the local administrations will have a major shift since the boundaries of neighboring counties will be redrawn.

There was a debate among the locals and many caring people whether to build at the original site or to find a new location. The debate is indeed still going on. It will be a daunting challenge to the local government of how to persuade those who refuse to relocate, how to balance the often conflict interests from different groups, and how to take care of the ruin of the old city.

Photo Source:Ｐｒｏｆ. Gu Jianwen

http://naowaike.blog.sohu.com/89642684.html

Prof. Gu Jianwen, went to Beichuan for the final rescue operation. Using his camera, he shared with us what he witnessed 4 weeks after the devastating earthquake stroke the once bustling city. Beichuan was a travel destination and one of the few self-administrated counties for ethnic Qiang people, who also enjoy thousands years of history and colorful culture.

Original source:　Zhao Mu’s Blog　

http://zhaomu.blog.sohu.com/89698174.html

Translated by Keyboards Without Boarders.

The temporary houses are build in large scale now. Following pictures show how the houses are built.

First, a plain field needs to be found, which is not an easy task in the mountain area, where the earthquake hit. From the photo taken at June 9, 2008, it can be seen that some farm lands are taken and cleared up for the purpose.

The house can’t be put on earth directly. A layer of cement of 10~15cm （3～6 inches) is used as flat base. From the photo shown, the distance between the temp-houses is very tight.

Workers from Henan Tiangong Group are checking the sizes of the cement base. They need to finish 690 units in a very short time. It is hot and humid now. They have to work in extra hours in a pretty hostile weather.

The boards used for the temporary house are structured like sandwiches, with compressed poly-ethylene foam (5~15cm thick) covered by iron sheet on both sides. It is predicted that the plastic foam might be exposed when the sheet metal cover is eroded under the severe weather of the disaster zone. Then the foam will deform to small pieces and be blown away by winds. That may lead to a severe white pollution to the area. Further, when the temp houses are dismantled, how to treat or recycle the used material will be a daunting challenge.

Rows and rows of temp houses are built quickly.

The boards used are pretty light. Two workers can easily lift one without any machine.

Source: http://house.focus.cn/msgview/526/141297160.html Cairang Duoji’s Blog

A mountain climber from Xi’an was trying to climb the Big Girl of Sigunian (Four Girls） Mountain at 2:27pm, May 12. Then he saw the avalanche coming and took these precious pictures from behind a huge rock where he hided. It is until he returned back when he knew that a devastating earthquake has just stroked the area.

Please note that the time is based on the camera. It is a little bit inaccurate compare to the real earthquake time.

14:27:24, May 12, 2008

14:27:33, May 12, 2008

14:28:12, May 12, 2008

14:28:35, May 12, 2008