The Sichuan Earthquake - Half a Year Later

It’s been just about half a year since one of the most disastrous earthquakes in recent history struck the Southwestern province of Sichuan, China. This earthquake, which occurred in the afternoon on May 12th, 2008, with a magnitude of 8.0 on the Richter scale, was the biggest Earthquake to hit China since the 1976 Tangshen earthquake. The death toll currently stands at 69,227, with 17,923 missing and 374,643 injured. The Chinese government has spent over 80 billion yuan (11 billion U.S dollars) on earthquake relief.

Recently, On October 8th, The Chinese party held a ceremony to honor those who contributed to the relief efforts after the Earthquake. People in attendance included paramount leader Hu Jintao, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, Chinese Vice Premier Li Keqiang and many other prominent leaders. Awards were presented those who helped in the relief effort, including soldiers, police, teachers, construction workers, and volunteers. A total of 319 institutions and 522 individuals were honored at this ceremony. There were 5 awards that were handed out posthumously to those who gave their life in order to save others. Among them was a 23 year-old teacher named Gou Xiaochao. He was in a classroom at Yong’an Village’s primary school when the Earthquake began. Acting quickly, he herded the students out of the building. His heroic actions saved the lives of many children, but in the process, he was buried in the debris. He died en-route to the hospital. He was married only 10 days before.

It’s selfless actions like Guo’s that allowed the Chinese to recover so quickly from such a devastating Earthquake. As Hu Jintao puts it, “ we organized the fastest quake relief work with the most people mobilized in China’s history, saved as many as possible lives and minimized the losses from the disaster.” Rescuers dragged over 84,000 survivors from the rubble. Over 2.6 million victims received medical treatment. Financial aid has been given to over 10 million victims, which include over 250,000 orphans. People from all blocks of life have made donations. Survivors and victims were supplied with tents, quilts, garments, and temporary housing. As the rescue effort proceeds, this year’s focus in recover is the construction of buildings, intellectual support, and industry cooperation. So far, of the roughly 53,300 km of damaged roads, 53,000 km have been fully restored. There are 39 new programs aimed at promoting the construction of new residential buildings, schools, and hospitals.

The plan is in three or less years, Sichuan and its surrounding provinces will be completely rehabilitated to its former pre-quake state or better.

-Patrick