Lessons from Wenchuan Earthquake Disaster in China

Peijun SHI

State Key Laboratory of Earth Surface Processes and Resource Ecology (ESPRE)

Key Laboratory of Environmental Change and Nature Disaster, Ministry of Education (ECND)

Academy of Disaster Reduction and Emergency Management, MOC and MOE (ADREM)

Beijing Normal University

WORKING SESSION Lessons from Mega Disasters, 10.00 to 11.30, Sunday, 15th March, 2015,Sendai ,Japan

Wenchuan Earthquake Earth-suface Rupture MapThe M>=4 aftershock distribution map (up to August 9 of 2008)

The destructive zone of the earthquake faultthrough the old city of Beichuan County

Secondary Disasters Induced by Wenchuan Earthquake

• The induced geological disasters: induced by the earthquake and rainstorms, reaches 9556, including 5117 landslides, 3575 rock falls, 358 debris flows

• The secondary disasters such as barrier lakes, damaged reservoirs and damaged dams: – 34 barrier lakes with different levels of danger, and the Tangjiashan Barrier Lake near the county seat

of Beichuan County was of extremely severe danger;

– Over 1800 damaged reservoirs in Sichuan province;

– Dams in Sichuan, Chongqing, Shaanxi, Gansu and Yunnan with a length of 1054km were damaged

Landslide and rockfall Induced by Wenchuan Earthquake

Field Investigation Points

Heavy Rain

Rock Collapse Landslides

Earthquake

Barrier lakesDebris Flow

Wenchuan Earthquake Disaster Chains

Integrated emergency disaster assessment map of Wenchuan Earthquake

Casualties

12:00 of July 11, 2008, the Wenchuan Earthquake in Sichuan province had caused:

– 69197 death toll– 18341 people missing– 374176 injured– 15.106 billion transferred and relocated– 96445 hospitalized injured people, of which 88391 people have

left hospital already, and 5405 people remain in hospital– 3334 people who had been transferred to other provinces from

Sichuan province– Treatments of the sick and wounded summed up to 2827552

person-times – Losses (billion RMB) ： 853.0

Response to the Wenchuan earthquake The State Council issued the Regulation on Post-Wenchuan Earthquake Rehabilitation and Reconstruction .

It clarified the detailed responsibilities of government at all levels in the rehabilitation and reconstruction after the earthquake.

In accord with this regulation, an expert earthquake rescue group was established to investigate and evaluate the earthquake to provide support for the formulation of plans for post-earthquake rehabilitation and reconstruction.

Regulation on post-Wenchuan earthquake rehabilitation and reconstruction (a) and Wenchuan earthquake impact

assessment map (b)

Rebuilt town, Shuimo in Wenchuan, Sichuan Province

Response to the Wenchuan earthquake

The regulation stated that the financial assistance given by the provinces or municipalities should be no less than 1% of its local fiscal revenue of the previous year. To express the country’s condolences to the victims of the Wenchuan earthquake, the State Council declared May 19–21 2008 to be National Grief Day.

The response to the Wenchuan earthquake was the fastest and largest mobilization of help in Chinese history. The guarantees stated in various policies resulted in a very successful and effective rehabilitation and reconstruction process. As a result, within 3 years, the disaster-hit area recovered and even surpassed its pre-earthquake economic and social development status.

What commitments are expected

to be achieved?

China’s main achievements Lessons Recommendations

Established a disaster prevention and reduction regime, mechanisms and legal system

Improved monitoring, early warning, and risk assessment Established the disaster information sharing service and a

public campaign on disaster prevention and reduction Strengthened the climate change response and disaster risk

governance Strengthened the disaster preparedness

China’s main achievements

An atlas series on natural disasters to support national and local disaster prevention and reduction

The Atlas of Natural Disasters in China (1992) supported the development of the 2000–2005 plan。

The Atlas of Natural Disaster System of China （ 2003 ） served the development of the plan for 2005–2010.

The Atlas of Natural Disaster Risk of China （ 2011 ） was used in the development of the plan for 2011–2015。

Atlas series of natural disasters in China and Worldhttp://www.adrem.org.cn/atlas (13—19,March,2015)

The Chinese experience in the past 25 years illustrates the importance of three shared points:

Identification of the concept of comprehensive disaster prevention and reduction in strategies

Inclusion of goals for comprehensive disaster prevention and reduction in national plans

Actions to strengthen the technological support of comprehensive disaster prevention and reduction.

The synergy between central and local governments requires further improvement

The synergy between urban and rural areas should be further strengthened

The synergy between the government and public still lacks an institutional guarantee

The sectoral management and disaster risk governance still needs to be integrated

Lessons

ChallengesClimate change uncertainties lead to greater environmental risks Global warming

Increase of extreme events Environmental risks will increase Exposure and vulnerability are likely to increase Uncertainties regarding climate change and its impact

Sustainable development is facing challenges from emerging risks Energy and water security are important components of resource safety Food security is foundation of economic and social safety Terrestorial ecosystem stability is the keystone of disaster prevention and reduction. Protection of coastal zone is highly linked to resource and ecological safety

Challenges from globally networked disasters

Distribution of Future High-temperature, Drought and Flood Risk Levels in China under Emission Scenario RCP 8.5 [19]

(Red color denotes highest risk level, and light blue color denotes lowest risk level) The globalization of the influence of disasters

Incorporate economic development, life style, and ecosystem services to better adapt to the changing environment

Promote a green economy strategy by balancing efforts to mitigate disaster loss and enhance benefits

 

Glob

al c

l ima

te

dive

rsi t

y

Global cl imate

diversi ty

Global cl imate diversi ty

Increasing capabality of cliamate change adaptation

Stru

ctur

e op

timiz

ed

Function perfected

Consilence enhanced

Decrease VulnerabilityIncrease Resilience

Strong Adaptation

Spatial Scale(global ,regional ,l ocal )

Temporal Scale(thousands,hundreds,decades)

Action Dimension

(economy,politics,culture,society）

Increasing capability of coping with LSD

Increasing capability of disaster reduction by

science and technology

Comprehensive disaster risk prevention paradigm under the strategy of “common world, common existence, common development”

RecommendationsPromoting the integration of coping with climate change and disaster

prevention and reduction

Accelerate the transition of economic growth patterns with a focus on structure adjustment supported by innovation and development in science and technology.

Establish a diversified energy security and supply chain system to efficiently reduce the negative impacts of large-scale disaster risks.

Comprehensively improve national and local disaster risk sharing capabilities by establishing a “global large-scale disaster risk financial management system” to realize the risk diversification and sharing in the global context.

RecommendationsPromoting the integration of coping with climate change and disaster prevention

and Holistically improve national and regional risk governance capacity for large-scale disasters

Green Economy

Climate Change Catastrophe Risk

Vegetation Economy

Extreme Climate Events

Increase

PreventMitigate

Carbon Sink

Interrelations between climate change, green economy, and disaster risk

Accelerate the transition of economic growth patterns with a focus on structure adjustment supported by innovation and development in science and technology.

Establish a diversified energy security and supply chain system to efficiently reduce the negative impacts of large-scale disaster risks.

Comprehensively improve national and local disaster risk sharing capabilities by establishing a “global large-scale disaster risk financial management system” to realize the risk diversification and sharing in the global context.

 

Government Insti tution Enterpri se Individual

NationRegion

ProvinceCounty

PlanningFinancing

TechnologyCivi l

State-ownedPubl i c-owned

PrivateJoint VentureChi ldren

YouthMiddle-AgedElders

Extraction

Consi l i ence

Integrated System

CommunicationConstruction

Cooperation

Coordination

Society

EconomyCul ture

Pol i ti cs

RecommendationsHolistically improve national and regional risk governance capacity for

large-scale disasters

Conceptual model of consilience for integrated large-scale disaster risk governance

Recommendations.Promote the establishment of a global paradigm and an alliance for

large-scale disaster risk governance Develop a global paradigm for large-scale disaster risk governance, to

coordinate present actions by the United Nations to improve sustainable development and to complete the global mechanism for coping with large-scale disaster risks.

Establish a global foundation for large-scale disaster risk, to disseminate, transfer and apply diverse science and technology as well as relevant education, to support the UN in establishing a global disaster transfer mechanism, and to promote science and technology advancement.

Establish a global network for large-scale disaster response to develop an enhanced global education and scientific platform.

 

Thank you！