Earthquake in a poorer part of the world - Sichuan 2008 Flashcards
The Indian plate collides with which other tectonic plate to cause this earthquake?
The Eurasian plate. Pressure was released along a fault line which passes below Sichuan.
At what time was the earthquake, on the 12th May 2008?
2.28PM. This is important because many people were at school and at work - often in large public buildings that were not earthquake - proofed.
The earthquake measured 7.9 on the Richter scale, but how long did tremors last for?
120 seconds!!
Initial reports suggested 8,700 deaths… but what was the final official death toll?
69,000 with many thousands more missing.
A further 374,000 were injured and at least 5 million people were made homeless.
What % of buildings collapsed in the worst affected areas?
80%.
A total of 5 million buildings collapsed.
A number of schools collapsed, including one where over 900 pupils died. Why were parents angered?
Cheap building materials were used in the construction of schools - often contrary to what the government promised.
The total cost was much less that in Kobe… but how much exactly?
$75 million.
What slowed down the emergency response?
Sichuan province is a huge area - and roads were blocked by landslides. These also blocked rivers, raising fears of flooding.
How did they overcome access problems that saw some areas not receiving help in over 30 hours after the event?
Twenty helicopters were assigned and troops began parachuting in to help. Thousands of army personnel were deployed to try and free people from collapsed buildings.
3.3 million tents were needed to protect people from the weather. Where did these come from?
Rather than requesting international help, the Chinese simply increased production to make the tents! Areas of land were flattened for them to be put up!
China did not ask for international help for two days… but what did they want on the 14th May?
Although teams from Japan, South Korea, and Russia helped the rescue effort, China wanted cash donations.
Donations to the Red Cross exceeded £100 million. Much of this went into running the refugee camps.
One million temporary homes were planned, to house the homeless. When was the rebuilding programme planned to be complete?
3 years. However, it took more than 4 years to achieve this.
True or False: Banks wrote off debts owed by survivors without insurance?
TRUE!
