Severe Earthquake Hits Sichuan Nature Paradise

The China Earthquake Administration has activated level-I emergency response procedures following a 7.0 Richter scale earthquake on Aug 8 in Jiuzhaigou County in southwest China’s Sichuan Province. The quake struck Jiuzhaigou county in the Aba Tibetan and Qiang autonomous prefecture at 9:19 pm on Aug 08 at a depth of 20 kilometers. More than 1,000 aftershocks — the strongest at Richter scale 4.6 — had struck by late on Aug 9, according to the China Earthquake Administration. By Aug 11 the death toll had risen to 24 and the tally of the injured was 493. All-out rescue efforts were continuing.

Saving lives top priority

Chinese President Xi jinping urges all-out relief work and rescue the injured people after 7.0-magnitude quake hits SW China.

Authorities should check the impact of the earthquake, evacuate and settle visitors and local people, and reduce death and injuries as much as possible, Xi said.

As the earthquake took place during the flood period and tourism season, authorities should enhance meteorological early warning and geological monitoring to guard against other disasters and try their best to protect people’s lives and property, Xi added.

Premier Li Keqiang also urged local authorities to go all out in relief and monitoring work.

The State Council has sent a national work team to the disaster-hit area to guide relief work. Local governments have activated top-level emergency response procedures.

High-tech in the rescue

Technology advances have also helped make relief work more sophisticated. Several monitoring satellites have been configured to survey the disaster-hit area and satellite images will be sent to China’s disaster relief, earthquake and meteorological authorities, according to China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation.

A meteorological satellite developed by the corporation will also provide weather information to the quake-hit area. China Satellite Communication has opened temporary fast channels to ensure news reporting from the disaster scene.

The land and resources department and geological institutes of Sichuan have used equipment such as drones, satellite phones and 3D laser scanners to monitor the area to prevent secondary disasters.

●Life-detection Equipment

There are several forms of life detector, using technology such as infrared, audio and radar. The (radar) detector is designed to locate the human body by sensing the electric field generated by the body’s ultra-low frequency waves produced by the heart.

●UAV（ unmanned aerial vehicle）

One of the most important priorities following an earthquake is to gain a full picture of the disaster area and implement effective traffic management. The UAV can quickly reach the disaster area, achieve direct observation of the impact, and provide remote sensory images of key transport channels. During the first critical 72 hours this can help relief workers to save lives and target supplies effectively.

Emergency response to Sichuan quake

According to the Sichuan Provincial Public Security Bureau, about 13116 stranded vehicles and 71000 employees had been evacuated by Aug 9. Preliminary statistics indicate that by 4pm Aug 9 more than 9000 local residents had been relocated from the earthquake zone. “The evacuation has been swift and efficient,” said Liu Zuoming, director of the disaster relief headquarters.

Work teams have been sent to the stricken area to carry out emergency relief work, the administration said in a statement. China has a four-level earthquake emergency response system, with level-I being the top.

A total of 455 firefighters from Shanxi Province have been organized on standby, and 28 relief workers from Gansu Province have also carried out rescue work.

The Red Cross Society of China has also launched its emergency response procedures, sending 1,000 first aid kits, 2,000 quilts and 200 tents to the area.

Sichuan Province dispatched over 1,300 armed policemen, 1,108 firefighters, 55 sets of heat sensors and 30 sniffer dogs to Jiuzhaigou.

About 500 medical workers from all across the province have been providing emergency treatment.

   ( The PLA soldier was rushing to the rescue spot, photo by Chengdu military academy)

Parents save their child at the cost of their own

A family was on a coach traveling back to their hotel, when huge rocks began to rain down from the mountain. A rock fell directly onto the back of the bus. The parents of one little girl were badly injured, but they used what strength remained to them to protect their daughter. Ultimately she was saved by rescuers, but the parents gave their lives to save her.

Casualties among foreign visitors

A Frenchman, Maxence Vallon, 18, a Canadian woman, and another unidentified foreigner were among the injured, according to the provincial government.

Vallon had injuries to both legs, while the Canadian woman, who declined to be named, suffered a slight head injury. Both are being treated at Jiuzhaigou county’s public hospital.

Doctors said fragments of rock were embedded in Vallon’s right leg and he needed immediate surgery to prevent infection.

“We were on open ground when a rock fell and hit Maxence on the leg,” said his brother Romain Vallon, a student in Beijing. The brothers were staying with their mother in a hotel in Jiuzhaigou when the quake struck. The Canadian woman is expected to be discharged in two or three days, doctors said. “We have received excellent care. The rescue workers and doctors have been very helpful,” she said.

Jiuzhaigou National Park is a nature reserve in the north of Sichuan province, south western China. It is more than 400 kilometers from Chengdu, the provincial capital. Its predominant landform is the high and deep valley and carbonate dammed lake. It is known for its many multi-level waterfalls and colorful lakes, and was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1992. It is classified as a category V (Protected Landscape) in the IUCN protected area system.

There is also a legend of how Jiuzhaigou become such a beautiful place. Long long ago, there was a god named Dargo, who was obsessed with a beautiful goddess. Dargo sent his beloved goddess a magic mirror, but a demon came along and startled the goddess and she dropped her mirror into the mortal world. The mirror fell and broke into 114 pieces, which became crystal pools like diamonds in the forest, which the locals then called ”Haizi”.

Before and After:

 The famed scenic spot Nuorilang Waterfall

 The famed scenic spot Sparkling Lake

Scenic spots are connected by roads.

The famed scenic spot Colorful Lake

 source：People’s Daily,  Xinhua, China Pictorial