Sichuan quake anniversary: China’s “transformed approach” to disaster risk

2018-05-14 15:38 Source:UNISDR AP

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School children in Sichuan, China (photo: Flickr gill_penney)

 

By Chris Weeks

Bangkok, 10 May 2018 - China has transformed its approach to reducing disaster risk following the devastating Sichuan earthquake ten years ago, with citizens including school children more protected and prepared than ever.  

The 7.9 magnitude quake hit the county of Wenchuan on 12th May 2008, leaving nearly 90,000 dead or missing, hundreds of thousands injured and millions affected.

The death toll included up to 10,000 children, who were killed when their schools collapsed – prompting public outrage, with critics coining the term “tofu schools” referring to their flimsy construction.

However, a decade since the disaster, the country has made huge strides with strictly-enforced construction standards, school safety management manuals, checklists to regularly asses risk, and school drills to practice emergency preparedness plans. The country is also embracing the latest technology to monitor hazards.

Loretta Hieber Girardet, Asia-Pacific Chief for the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR), said: “Out of the Sichuan tragedy has come huge progress. I recently visited China’s National Disaster Management Centre, and saw how teams are working round the clock to monitor hazards with the latest technology including satellites.

“Combined with strictly-enforced regulations, risk assessments and building codes, it’s clear that China has transformed its approach to disaster risk reduction – particularly for school children, who are among the most vulnerable when an earthquake strikes.”

The Sichuan earthquake prompted authorities in China to invest in dedicated satellites to improve prediction capacities and early warning systems for disaster management. Meanwhile, the country has also committed to limit economic losses from disasters to within 1.3 percent of GDP. Over the next five years, China will also spend more than 200 million yuan (more than US$31million) in seismological technology research.

Editor:Amy