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Sichuan earthquake case study

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An earthquake measuring 7.9 on the Richter scale struck Sichuan province in China in May 2008. Over 69,000 people were killed and hundreds of thousands injured or missing. Critical infrastructure like schools and dams were damaged, leaving millions homeless. The earthquake occurred in a seismically active area where buildings were poorly constructed and unprepared for such a large quake, resulting in widespread destruction. Immediate response included search and rescue operations while long term responses focused on rebuilding homes and infrastructure.

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Case study: Sichuan 2008 Where did it happen?China is foundlocated in eastern Asia. The province of Sichuan is found in the south west of the country on the destructive boundary between the Indo-Australian plate and the Eurasian plate. The earthquake occurred on the Longmenshan fault What happened?On May 12th 2008, at2:30pm an earthquake measuring magnitude 7.9 on the Richter scale struck Wenchuan county, Sichuan. The epicenter was 80 kilometres west-northwest of Chengdu, the provincial capital, with a focal depth of 19 km. The earthquake was also felt in nearby countries and as far away as both Beijing and Shanghai. Tremors lasted for 2 minutes. E c o n o m i c S o c i a l E n v i r o n m e n t a l Primary effects A cargo train carrying 13 petrol tanks derailed in Hui County, Gansu, and caught on fire after the rail was distorted. 391 dams were damaged by the quake. 69,197 people were killed. 374,176 injured, with 18,222 listed as missing 4.8 million people homeless although it could be as high as 11 million. 100 schools collapsed killing 10,000 children Landslides. Secondary effects Oil prices dropped over speculation that the demand from china would fall Cost $191 million In Shifang, chemical plants collapsed killing hundreds and releasing toxic ammonia Communications such as telephones were cut off. 6 pandas escaped from their enclosures at the Wolong National Nature Reserve after they were damaged, 2 pandas were injured, one panda was found dead. Rivers were blocked by landslides forming ‘quake lakes’ 34 lakes were formed in total. Risk of flooding when the dams collapsed.
Immediate responses 20 helicopters were assigned to rescue and relief efforts immediately after the quake Troops parachuted in to help Thousands of army men deployed Calls made to increase the number of tents Long term responses China requested help from Japan, Russia and Korea helped The redcross donated food and medicine 1 million temporary homes built The Chinese government pledged a $10million rebuilding fund Banks wrote of debts of survivors who did not have insurance. How well was the hazard managed?The area was not prepared for an earthquake. There is no fixed evacuation spots and there is not a regular earthquake drill. This is mainly because such a large earthquake was not expected in that region. Many buildings collapsed because they were poorly constructed, meaning that they were not earthquake proof. The country is highly corrupt which means that any regulations on buildings put in place could have been bypassed in order to make cheap buildings. Why did so many schools collapse? School buildings are supposed to conform to building standards which are much higher than normal residential buildings. This is to protect children from collapsing buildings. However, the collapse of many school buildings shows that the standards have not been met. This has led to the earthquake proof nature of other school buildings to be assessed.

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Sichuan earthquake case study

  • 1. Case study: Sichuan 2008 Where did it happen?China is foundlocated in eastern Asia. The province of Sichuan is found in the south west of the country on the destructive boundary between the Indo-Australian plate and the Eurasian plate. The earthquake occurred on the Longmenshan fault What happened?On May 12th 2008, at2:30pm an earthquake measuring magnitude 7.9 on the Richter scale struck Wenchuan county, Sichuan. The epicenter was 80 kilometres west-northwest of Chengdu, the provincial capital, with a focal depth of 19 km. The earthquake was also felt in nearby countries and as far away as both Beijing and Shanghai. Tremors lasted for 2 minutes. E c o n o m i c S o c i a l E n v i r o n m e n t a l Primary effects A cargo train carrying 13 petrol tanks derailed in Hui County, Gansu, and caught on fire after the rail was distorted. 391 dams were damaged by the quake. 69,197 people were killed. 374,176 injured, with 18,222 listed as missing 4.8 million people homeless although it could be as high as 11 million. 100 schools collapsed killing 10,000 children Landslides. Secondary effects Oil prices dropped over speculation that the demand from china would fall Cost $191 million In Shifang, chemical plants collapsed killing hundreds and releasing toxic ammonia Communications such as telephones were cut off. 6 pandas escaped from their enclosures at the Wolong National Nature Reserve after they were damaged, 2 pandas were injured, one panda was found dead. Rivers were blocked by landslides forming ‘quake lakes’ 34 lakes were formed in total. Risk of flooding when the dams collapsed.
  • 2. Immediate responses 20 helicopters were assigned to rescue and relief efforts immediately after the quake Troops parachuted in to help Thousands of army men deployed Calls made to increase the number of tents Long term responses China requested help from Japan, Russia and Korea helped The redcross donated food and medicine 1 million temporary homes built The Chinese government pledged a $10million rebuilding fund Banks wrote of debts of survivors who did not have insurance. How well was the hazard managed?The area was not prepared for an earthquake. There is no fixed evacuation spots and there is not a regular earthquake drill. This is mainly because such a large earthquake was not expected in that region. Many buildings collapsed because they were poorly constructed, meaning that they were not earthquake proof. The country is highly corrupt which means that any regulations on buildings put in place could have been bypassed in order to make cheap buildings. Why did so many schools collapse? School buildings are supposed to conform to building standards which are much higher than normal residential buildings. This is to protect children from collapsing buildings. However, the collapse of many school buildings shows that the standards have not been met. This has led to the earthquake proof nature of other school buildings to be assessed.