The earthquake, which affected 10 provinces of Turkey centered in Kahramanmaraş, paralyzed the southeast of the country. Due to the wide spread and size of the earthquake, aid support teams came from many countries of the world. One of the first countries to send support to Turkey was the Chinese state. The systematicity and dynamism of China's work saved the lives of many earthquake victims. So how can China optimize so quickly in earthquakes?
China, a very active country in terms of earthquakes, has witnessed 1900 earthquakes of magnitude 8.0 and above, 8 earthquakes between 7.0 and 8.0 and 150 earthquakes between 6.0 and 7.0 since 995.
Wenchuan earthquake
The earthquake, which the whole world and the Chinese cannot forget, occurred on May 12, 2008. The earthquake that struck Wenchuan, Sichuan Province, had a magnitude of 7.9 and hit 10 provinces and killed 69 people.
In the face of this serious humanitarian, material, economic and environmental damage, the Chinese government immediately launched a comprehensive aid and rebuilding program. For example, it started using denser broadband and powerful motion seismometers, where data is transmitted in real time to both local and international data centers. In addition, early warning systems have begun to be tested in many regions in Sichuan province in recent years.
Turning point in disaster preparedness
China is aware that its country is on earthquake fault lines. With its dynamic population and strong economy, it took important steps both to reduce the cost of losses and to protect its population. One of them was that in April 2018, the Chinese government inaugurated the Ministry of Emergency Management at the National People's Congress in March. Along with this ministry, it also played an important role in resolving the problems in the country's architecture.
Issues such as redeployment of residences after the disaster, restoration and improvement of health services in the event of an earthquake, reintegrating the citizens affected by the earthquake into business life, and continuing the education life of the students without interruption were on the agenda. Most importantly, the government planned these efforts to take advantage of the opportunities presented by the disaster, allowing the affected provinces to move forward.
China's most successful direction; speed
One of the aspects where China has been most successful is the speed with which it can mobilize government institutions, the private sector, and the population in general. According to the data, around 41.130 projects for reconstruction and improvement were undertaken after the ministry opened, of which 99% were completed within a two-year period. This was made possible in large part by innovative measures such as a partnership plan between provinces and good organisation.
Aiming to spread its great experience and expertise in disaster preparedness and assistance to other countries in the region and to the world, China's speed and success in the recent earthquakes in Turkey is a good example of its strength in this regard.
Be the first to comment