Tangshan」タグアーカイブ

Day_129 : Natural Disasters in China (1) – Two Earthquake Disasters

Overviews

The overviews of Natural Disasters in China are the followings:

1) Death numbers
death_china2
Source: EM-DAT

2) Affected numbers
affected_china
Source: EM-DAT

3) Damage costs
damage_china
Source: EM-DAT

Natural disasters in China are very large scales, reflecting country’s population and geographical size. Also, we need to know that China has a rapidly growing economy. We can confirm the normal historical trends of natural disasters, from human sufferings to economic damages, which this note already mentioned (Day 77). For instance, the top 10 deadliest natural disasters in China are all before 1970s. On the contrary, the top 10 costliest natural disasters in China all occurred after 1990s.

Two Earthquakes
Yang Zhang William Drake et al. (2016)* indicate interesting views on two earthquake disaster recoveries: the 1976 Tangshan earthquake and the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake. The point is why the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake recovery was so rapid compared to the 1976 earthquake.
However, the paper could add the total background changes in China, such as the economy and politics. China has changed dramatically since 1976, from historical viewpoints.

A comparison of the two earthquakes will be explained.

Yang Zhang William Drake et al. (2016), Disaster Recovery Planning after Two Catastrophes: The 1976 Tangshan Earthquake and the 2008 Wenchuan Earthquake, International Journal of Mass Emergencies and Disasters, 34(2):174–200.

Day_130 : Natural Disasters in China (2) – Two Earthquake Disasters

 

Two Earthquakes
Yang Zhang William Drake, et al. (2016)* indicates interesting views on two earthquakes disaster recoveries, the 1976 Tangshan earthquake and the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake. The point is, why the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake recovery was so rapid compared to the 1976’s earthquake.
However, the paper could add more about the total background changes of China such as society, economy, and politics. The china has changed dramatically after the 1976 from historical viewpoints.

The Tangshan earthquake is one of the deadliest disasters in the world and the Wenchuan earthquake is one of the top ten costliest disasters in the world also. Munich Re ranked the Wenchuan as the top four costliest disaster after the Japanese Tsunami (2011), the Hurricane Katrina (2005). and the Kobe Earthquake (1995). The number of deaths caused by the Tangshan is still controversial because of the Chinese government’s political climates at the time.

A Comparison of the two earthquakes

tanchanwenchan
Yang Zhang William Drake, et al. (2016)

The Rapid Disaster Recovery after the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake
Yang Zhang William Drake, et al. (2016) describes the following points, historical and socio-economic contexts, why the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake recovery was so rapid compared to the 1976’s earthquake.

[Historical context]

  1. The Chinese government drew lessons from its handling of the Tangshan earthquake recovery. The government emphasized the importance of planning for coordinated reconstruction.
  2. China had established a strong planning institution to support its rapid growth agenda since the economic reform began in the late 1970s. The contrast of recovery planning between the two earthquakes highlights the notion that a pre-existing planning institution and pre-existing policy documents that describe development visions for a disaster area.

[Socio-economic context]

  1. China’s ability to promptly fund the earthquake recovery was far superior in the 2000s. China’s annual GDP in the year prior to the Wenchuan earthquake was 3.494 trillion USD 2007, which was 22 times its GDP in 1975.
  2. The earthquake happened less than three months before the Beijing Olympic Games. It was in the government’s best interest to move swiftly with the response and recovery to ensure social stability for the Olympic Games.
  3. The global economic downturn of 2008 might have also played a role in speeding up the earthquake recovery. To stimulate the economy, heavy investment in the earthquake recovery became a convenient policy option.

However, many things can be added about the above points such as the acceptance of international aids (Day_95).

http://disasters.weblike.jp/disasters/archives/2971

 

This rapid recovery from Wenchuan reminds us the Japanese historical trends  from 1945 to 1959, especially after the Typhoon Isewan in 1959. The Haiti’s cases, 2010 Earthquake and 2016 Hurricane Matthew also can be found as the same analogy (The below related articles across the web).

The Meanings of the Lessons
We cannot experience the disasters so often, of course, we do not want to have disasters. This is why we should learn from the past disasters and this is what we can do all the time.

*Yang Zhang William Drake, et al. (2016) Disaster Recovery Planning after Two Catastrophes: The 1976 Tangshan Earthquake and the 2008 Wenchuan Earthquake, International Journal of Mass Emergencies and Disasters, 34(2):174-203

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Day_95 : World Disaster Chronology 1976 (1)

Date Place Disaster Type Situations
1976.01- A northern part of the Philippines Heavy rain, Floods The death and missing number is over250, mainly Luzon island.
1976.01- Japan Disease Influenza, Over 1.8 million are affected, over 500 are dead (not confirmed).
1976.02- US and UK Disease Over 800 are dead. Influenza (not confirmed)
1976.02.04 Guatemala Inland earthquake Guatemala earthquake M7.5: A dead and missing number is 22,900, A major active fault line (over 200km) was found
1976.04.10 Bangladesh Tornado  The dead and missing number is 200
1976.05.06 A north-eastern part of Italy Inland earthquake Friuli earthquake M6.5A dead and missing number is 900-1,250
1976.06- US Heavy rain, Floods The dead and missing number is 140
1976.06- Japan North-Eastern Part Cold weather damage The total loss is over 400 billion yen
1976.06.26 Indonesia, EastIrian Jaya Inland earthquake M6.9-7.1, A dead and missing number is 5,000-9,000 (not confirmed)Many landslides occurred
1976.07-10 Mexico Hurricane, Floods Hurricane Liza*, The dead and missing number is 200
1976.07.14 Indonesia, South (Bali) Inland earthquake M6.5 (not confirmed), The dead and missing number is 560
1976.08- US West Heavy rain, Floods A dead and missing number is 60. Mainly in Colorado.
1976.08.28 China Hebei Province Inland earthquake Tangshan earthquake**, M7.3-7.8, The dead and missing number is 242,000-655,000 (750,000 not confirmed) 

* Hurricane Riza hit Mexico. The story will be discussed later.

**Remarks for disaster statistics and international assistance should be made about the Tangshan earthquake. First, the death toll is unclear because of china’s political climate. The earthquake occurred during the late stages of the Cultural Revolution. This makes difficult to have accurate statistical data. The earthquake contributed to the end of the Cultural Revolution. Second, the Chinese government refused to accept international aid from the United Nations and insisted on self-reliance. This influenced disaster exacerbation. One of the worst natural disasters in the world.