LESSONS FROM PAST LESSONS FROM PAST NOTABLE EARTHQUAKES. NOTABLE EARTHQUAKES.

Part IPart I

Walter Hays, Global Alliance for Disaster Reduction, Vienna,

Virginia, USA 

EARTHQAKES ARE EARTHQAKES ARE DYNAMIC DYNAMIC LABORATORIESLABORATORIES FOR FOR

LEARNING AND CATALYSTS LEARNING AND CATALYSTS FOR FOR BUILDING CAPACITY BUILDING CAPACITY

FOR FOR DISASTER-INTELLIGENT DISASTER-INTELLIGENT & DISASTER-RESILIENT & DISASTER-RESILIENT

COMMUNITESCOMMUNITES

PAST NOTABLE PAST NOTABLE EARTHQUAKESEARTHQUAKES

SISCHUAN, CHINASISCHUAN, CHINA

MAY 12, 2008MAY 12, 2008

WITHIN MINUTES AND HOURSWITHIN MINUTES AND HOURS

•Forty-four of the counties Forty-four of the counties and districts of the Sishuan and districts of the Sishuan Province were directly Province were directly affected. affected.

45,690,00045,690,000 people were people were affected by the disaster. affected by the disaster.

CHINA EARTHQUAKE:CHINA EARTHQUAKE:MAY 12 2008MAY 12 2008

LESSONS LEARNED FOR LESSONS LEARNED FOR DISASTER RESILIENCEDISASTER RESILIENCE

ALL NOTABLE ALL NOTABLE EARTHQUAKESEARTHQUAKES

PREPAREDNESS PREPAREDNESS PLANNING FOR PLANNING FOR THE THE INEVITABLE INEVITABLE STRONG GROUND STRONG GROUND MOTION MOTION IS IS ESSENTIAL FOR ESSENTIAL FOR COMMUNITY COMMUNITY RESILIENCE.RESILIENCE.

LESSONS LEARNED FOR LESSONS LEARNED FOR DISASTER RESILIENCEDISASTER RESILIENCE

ALL NOTABLE ALL NOTABLE EARTHQUAKESEARTHQUAKES

PROTECTION OF PROTECTION OF BUILDINGS AND BUILDINGS AND INFRASTRUCTURE INFRASTRUCTURE IS ESSENTIAL IS ESSENTIAL FOR COMMUNITY FOR COMMUNITY RESILIENCERESILIENCE..

A PROTECTION NIGHTMARE: A PROTECTION NIGHTMARE: COLLAPSED BUILDINGS: BEICHUANCOLLAPSED BUILDINGS: BEICHUAN

A PROTECTION NIGHTMARE: A PROTECTION NIGHTMARE: COLLAPSED MIDDLE SCHOOL-- JUYUANCOLLAPSED MIDDLE SCHOOL-- JUYUAN

COLLAPSED HOME: JUYUANCOLLAPSED HOME: JUYUAN

TEMPORARY HOUSING: TEMPORARY HOUSING: MINGYANG MINGYANG

COLLAPSED BUILDINGS: COLLAPSED BUILDINGS: DUJIANGYANDUJIANGYAN

ANTICIPATING AFTERSHOCKS: ANTICIPATING AFTERSHOCKS: CHENGDU CHENGDU

ANTICIPATING AFTERSHOCKS: ANTICIPATING AFTERSHOCKS: MINGQIANG MINGQIANG

LESSONS LEARNED FOR LESSONS LEARNED FOR DISASTER RESILIENCEDISASTER RESILIENCE

ALL NOTABLE ALL NOTABLE EARTHQUAKESEARTHQUAKES

PREPAREDNESS PREPAREDNESS PLANNING FOR PLANNING FOR THE THE INEVITABLE INEVITABLE GROUND FAILURE GROUND FAILURE IS ESSENTIAL IS ESSENTIAL FOR COMMUNITY FOR COMMUNITY RESILIENCERESILIENCE..

LANDSLIDE: BEICHUANLANDSLIDE: BEICHUAN

WORKING ON “QUAKE LAKE”WORKING ON “QUAKE LAKE”

LESSONS LEARNED FOR LESSONS LEARNED FOR DISASTER RESILIENCEDISASTER RESILIENCE

ALL NOTABLE ALL NOTABLE EARTHQUAKESEARTHQUAKES

CAPACITY FOR CAPACITY FOR INTELLIGENT INTELLIGENT EMERGENCY EMERGENCY RESPONSE RESPONSE IS IS ESSENTIAL FOR ESSENTIAL FOR COMMUNITY COMMUNITY RESILIENCERESILIENCE..

EMERGENCY RESPONSE EMERGENCY RESPONSE HINDERED BY AFTERSHOCKSHINDERED BY AFTERSHOCKS

According to the China According to the China Seismological Bureau, Seismological Bureau, 10,068 10,068 aftershocksaftershocks were detected were detected within 3 weeks after the main within 3 weeks after the main shock.shock.

COLLAPSED BUILDINGS: COLLAPSED BUILDINGS: DUJIANGYANDUJIANGYAN

ADDITIONAL 30,000 SOLDIERS SENT ADDITIONAL 30,000 SOLDIERS SENT TO SPEED UP SEARCH & RESCUE TO SPEED UP SEARCH & RESCUE

SOLDIERS FACILITATE SEARCH SOLDIERS FACILITATE SEARCH AND RESCUE: BEICHUAN AND RESCUE: BEICHUAN

TIAWAN'S SEARCH AND RESCUE TIAWAN'S SEARCH AND RESCUE TEAMS PREPARING TO GO TEAMS PREPARING TO GO

SEARCH AND RESCUE TEAM: SEARCH AND RESCUE TEAM: DUJIANGYANDUJIANGYAN

SEARCH AND RESCUE: SEARCH AND RESCUE: DUJIANGYANDUJIANGYAN

PREGNANT WOMAN PREGNANT WOMAN RESCUED: DUJIANGYANRESCUED: DUJIANGYAN

SOLDIERS REPAIR CRACKS IN SOLDIERS REPAIR CRACKS IN ZIPINGPU DAM: DUJIANGYANZIPINGPU DAM: DUJIANGYAN

MEDICAL CARE FOR THE MEDICAL CARE FOR THE INJUREDINJURED

TEMPORARY MEDICAL TEMPORARY MEDICAL FACILITIES: NINGQIANG FACILITIES: NINGQIANG

INJURED WAIT FOR MEDICAL INJURED WAIT FOR MEDICAL SERVICES: SERVICES:

LESSONS LEARNED FOR LESSONS LEARNED FOR DISASTER RESILIENCEDISASTER RESILIENCE

ALL NOTABLE ALL NOTABLE EARTHQUAKESEARTHQUAKES

CAPACITY FOR CAPACITY FOR RECOVERY AND RECOVERY AND RECONSTRUCTIONRECONSTRUCTION IS ESSENTIAL FOR IS ESSENTIAL FOR COMMUNITY COMMUNITY RESILIENCERESILIENCE..

CLEANUP AND RECONSTRUCTION CLEANUP AND RECONSTRUCTION UNDERWAY: JULY 9, 2008 UNDERWAY: JULY 9, 2008

DIMENSIONS OF THE RECOVERY DIMENSIONS OF THE RECOVERY AND RECONSTRUCTION PROCESSAND RECONSTRUCTION PROCESS

TWENTY-ONE DAYS LATERTWENTY-ONE DAYS LATER

• Within three weeks, the death Within three weeks, the death toll, which would eventually toll, which would eventually reach 88,000, reached reach 88,000, reached 69,10769,107

•The number of injured reached The number of injured reached 373,577 373,577

TWENTY-ONE DAYS LATERTWENTY-ONE DAYS LATER

1,064,5911,064,591 peoplepeople were evacuated from damaged and destroyed homes or were evacuated from damaged and destroyed homes or homes threatened by floods to safer places.homes threatened by floods to safer places.

TWENTY-ONE DAYS LATERTWENTY-ONE DAYS LATER

•Fifteen million homeless and displaced Fifteen million homeless and displaced people people had been housed in tent cities and had been housed in tent cities and temporary shelters across the region.temporary shelters across the region.

TWENTY-ONE DAYS LATERTWENTY-ONE DAYS LATER

•The government had allocated The government had allocated 23.074 23.074 billion yuan billion yuan (3.33 billion U.S. dollars) (3.33 billion U.S. dollars) for for quake relief effortsquake relief efforts..

• The relief fund included 18.68 billion The relief fund included 18.68 billion yuan from the central budget and yuan from the central budget and 4.394 billion yuan from local budgets. 4.394 billion yuan from local budgets.

TWENTY-ONE DAYS LATERTWENTY-ONE DAYS LATER

•Domestic and foreign donations Domestic and foreign donations reached reached 42.364 billion yuan 42.364 billion yuan (6.11 (6.11 billion U.S. dollars), up 624 million billion U.S. dollars), up 624 million yuan overnight. yuan overnight. •12.1 billion yuan 12.1 billion yuan had been had been forwarded to the most severely forwarded to the most severely affected areas. affected areas.

TWENTY-ONE DAYS LATERTWENTY-ONE DAYS LATER

• 749,200 tents749,200 tents, one of the most , one of the most urgently needed relief supplies, urgently needed relief supplies, had been delivered to stricken had been delivered to stricken families.families.• A total of A total of 4,416,100 quilts 4,416,100 quilts and and 11,700,200 garments 11,700,200 garments had also had also been delivered to stricken regions. been delivered to stricken regions.

TWENTY-ONE DAYS LATERTWENTY-ONE DAYS LATER

•Relief workers had built Relief workers had built 15,500 15,500 temporary houses temporary houses and another and another 10,600 were being put together.10,600 were being put together.

•The material for The material for 45,700 45,700 makeshift housesmakeshift houses had arrived in had arrived in the impacted areas. the impacted areas.

TEMPORARY HOUSINGTEMPORARY HOUSING

• As of Tuesday, July 8As of Tuesday, July 8thth, relief , relief workers had built workers had built 447,600 447,600 temporary houses temporary houses and another and another 23,60023,600 were ready to install. were ready to install.

• The The materialsmaterials for 50,600 new for 50,600 new shelters had arrived in the shelters had arrived in the affected areas.affected areas.

TENTS, QUILTS, GARMENTS, TENTS, QUILTS, GARMENTS, AND FUELAND FUEL

About About 1.58 million tents1.58 million tents, , 4.87 million quilts4.87 million quilts, , 14.1 14.1 million garments,million garments, and and 1.84 1.84 million tons of fuel oil million tons of fuel oil had had been sent to the quake-hit been sent to the quake-hit areas.areas.

ROAD RESTORATIONROAD RESTORATION

As of Wednesday noon, July As of Wednesday noon, July 9th, 9th, 52,418 km of the 53,295 52,418 km of the 53,295 km km of roads damaged in the of roads damaged in the quake, had been restored to quake, had been restored to service.service.

BEICHUAN COUNTYBEICHUAN COUNTY

As a part of the reconstruction As a part of the reconstruction process, process, soldierssoldiers helped by helped by disinfectingdisinfecting and and cleaning up cleaning up Beichuan, one of the areas that Beichuan, one of the areas that was razed to the ground after was razed to the ground after suffering heavy damage.suffering heavy damage.

NEW POLICY: JUNE 8THNEW POLICY: JUNE 8TH

Premier Wen Jiabao Premier Wen Jiabao signed a signed a regulation on reconstruction regulation on reconstruction which established the which established the ““protection protection of the ecological environment with of the ecological environment with economic and social developmenteconomic and social development" " as a guiding principle.as a guiding principle.

DEBRIS AND DEBRIS AND ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS

• When China's military had When China's military had disposed of disposed of 8 million cubic 8 million cubic meters of debris, meters of debris, cleanup had cleanup had barely begun, and the tip of the barely begun, and the tip of the environmental iceberg was environmental iceberg was barely exposed.barely exposed.

WATERWATER

• Contaminated water Contaminated water is one is one of the biggest of the biggest environmental issues to environmental issues to ascertain after the ascertain after the earthquake.earthquake.

• Concern about long-term Concern about long-term health health impactsimpacts is well founded as a is well founded as a result of adverse environmental result of adverse environmental impacts on impacts on soil, air, and watersoil, air, and water. .

LONG TERM HEALTH LONG TERM HEALTH IMPACTSIMPACTS

THE RECONSTRUCTION THE RECONSTRUCTION DEMANDS ARE HUGE DEMANDS ARE HUGE

According to the State Council According to the State Council Information Office, about Information Office, about 5,461,900 houses collapsed5,461,900 houses collapsed, , 5,932,500 houses were seriously 5,932,500 houses were seriously damageddamaged, and another , and another 21 million 21 million need repairs.need repairs.

DEATHS, INJURED, AND DEATHS, INJURED, AND MISSINGMISSING

• The official death toll stood at The official death toll stood at 69,197 69,197 as of Wednesday , July as of Wednesday , July 99thth, according to the State , according to the State Council Information Office .Council Information Office .• The number of injured and The number of injured and missing stood at missing stood at 374,176 and 374,176 and 18,379 respectively 18,379 respectively

DISASTER FUNDSDISASTER FUNDS

The government disaster relief The government disaster relief fund reached 56.088 billion fund reached 56.088 billion yuan yuan (about 8.19 billion U.S. (about 8.19 billion U.S. dollarsdollars), including 50.748 ), including 50.748 billion yuan from the central billion yuan from the central budget and 5.34 billion yuan budget and 5.34 billion yuan from the local budget. from the local budget.

DONATIONSDONATIONS

Domestic and foreign Domestic and foreign donations reached donations reached 56.925 56.925 billion yuan in cash and billion yuan in cash and goodsgoods, of which 20.479 billion , of which 20.479 billion yuan was forwarded to the yuan was forwarded to the hardest hit areas. hardest hit areas.