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The 2008 Sichuan Earthquake

The 2008 Sichuan Earthquake. By: Matt Gordon. Earthquake Details. The 2008 Sichuan earthquake had a magnitude of 8.0M, with its epicenter located in Wenchuan County. The earthquake happened on May 12, 2008 and occurred along the Longmenshan fault. Overview.

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The 2008 Sichuan Earthquake

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  1. The 2008 Sichuan Earthquake By: Matt Gordon

  2. Earthquake Details • The 2008 Sichuan earthquake had a magnitude of 8.0M, with its epicenter located in Wenchuan County. • The earthquake happened on May 12, 2008 and occurred along the Longmenshan fault.

  3. Overview The 2008 Sichuan quake had a tremendous impact on: • Schools • Medical Car What is the best way to manage aid in an emergency situation such as this?

  4. Destroyed Schools • Thousands of school children died due to poor construction. • Over 7,000 school buildings collapsed across the Sichuan province. • Casualties of students alone were counted at 19,065.

  5. Rebuilding Schools • By November 21, 2008 the number of reconstructed schools had reached 1,300 • This was a good start for the reconstruction effort but there was still much to be done • Total reconstruction and relief costs had already reached $441 billion at this point

  6. Medical Care: Immediate Effects • Many of those injured in the earthquake had no insurance and needed the assistance of the government and relief organizations for aid • 50,000 Chinese troops were sent along with police to help with relief work. • The Red Cross Society of China had difficulties assisting due to rural areas, difficult terrain, and landslides.

  7. Long term effects • Even after the initial earthquake, aftershocks continued for months which slowed down reconstruction efforts and resulted in more fatalities • Some aftershocks reached magnitudes greater than 5.0M which destroyed thousands of homes

  8. Managing Aid • The Chinese government formally requested aid from the international community • Foreign nations and organizations responded quickly due to the severity of the quake • US$1.5 billion was donated within 48 hours by the Chinese public. Tents, food, and water were being flown in immediately

  9. How to allocate limited resources • All resources, whether physical, financial, or human, need to be allocated in a way which will get the most usefulness out of them • Resources must also be dispersed based on priorities. The most important priority is minimizing casualties, so the most urgent decisions on resource allocation must be done with this in mind.

  10. Search and Rescue • Search and Rescue operations required human and physical resources and were implemented with the goal of minimizing casualties • Landslides thwarted the progress of many of these teams • Helicopters were often included in these operations to help extract victims

  11. Financial Aid • Money was collected from the public, organizations, and governments from around the world • Once received, money was dispersed with the goal of getting the most utility out of it • Money was used for food, water, tents, tools, and eventually reconstruction efforts

  12. Physical Aid • Food, water, and tents were the most common forms of physical aid. • These items ensured that victims could meet their most basic human needs; food, water, and shelter • Physical aid also included building materials and tools used in reconstruction efforts

  13. Human Aid • Emergency relief teams came from Taiwan and other countries from around the world to assist with search and rescue efforts. • The effectiveness of human aid was slowed down by geographical conditions. • Landslides, bad weather, and generally difficult terrain made it difficult to mobilize human aid efforts.

  14. Conclusion The Sichuan earthquake was one of the greatest natural disasters in the history of China. The extent of the damage to the infrastructure as well as the amount of casualties were catastrophic. The problems were only compounded as relief efforts were greatly slowed down by bad weather, difficult terrain, and landslides.

  15. Recommendations • Increase efforts regarding earthquake predictions, and be sure to thoroughly investigate any claims that an earthquake is due • Have emergency plans ready before earthquakes happen to make sure the country is as prepared as possible • Increase construction policies to make structures more resilient to earthquakes

  16. Sources • References • http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2008-05/12/content_6678227.htm • http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7396400.stm • http://china.org.cn/2008-05/12/content_15177705.htm • http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/26/world/asia/26quake.html?_r=1 • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2008_Sichuan_earthquake • Images • http://www.javno.com/slike/slike_3/r1/g2008/m05/y171396220830831.jpg • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Sichuan_earthquake_jundao.JPG • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:R0013449.JPG

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