China - NEE earthquake case study

Question 1

location?

Answer 1

southern Chinese province of Sichuan

Question 1

date?

Answer 1

12th May 2008

Question 2

magnitude?

Answer 2

7.9

Question 3

time?

Answer 3

14:28

Question 4

primary effects?

Answer 4

87,000 deaths
370,000 injured
5 mil were made homeless
collapsed schools + hospitals
5 mil buildings collapsed
21 mil buildings damaged
chemical factories collapsed (releasing toxic gas)
32 mil farm animals died
100,000+ hectares of farmland dry and ruined with irrigation

Question 5

cause?

Answer 5

Convergence of the Indian (which subducts) and Eurasian plates (the Himalayas and Tibetan Plateau)

Question 6

secondary effects?

Answer 6

1. aftershocks: 400 died in a school, rescue efforts hampered
2. loss of tourism revenue
3. loss of hydroelectric power and factory revenue
4. landslides: 5,000km of roads and bridges damaged, 8,000km of pipelines damaged, railways damaged and caught fire, airport closed, 2,000+ weakened damns

Question 7

short-term responses?

Answer 7

1. The government were rapid in sending emergency response:
   - 140,000 troops by: boat, helicopter, parachute
   - 100,000 volunteers
   - rescue and medical teams with aid
2. temporary camps made
3. reverse sterilisation procedures to loosen rules on the one-child-policy
4. may foreign governments and organisations send aid

Question 8

long-term responses?

Answer 8

1. by June, 248/254 towns were repaired
2. A rebuilding programme is now in place after seeing 5 million still poor
   3.

Question 9

why may the rebuilding programme be questionable?

Answer 9

people, communities, and buildings need to be prepared and the wisdom of having large settlements in earthquake-prone mountainous areas should be questioned.

Question 10

why may you believe natural disasters aren’t “natural”?

Answer 10

as they are caused by:
- a lack of preparedness within communities
- the inability of authorities to provide resources to withstand natural hazards