#精品长文创作季#
●Yubo Xiwen
On December 19, 2023, in Linxia, Gansu Province, the damage to houses after the earthquake in Yangdai Village, Liuji Township, Jishishan County
Hearing that the resettlement site was going to distribute beef noodles today, Ma Zhongming wrapped himself in a military coat and went out. On the way, I met a friend from the same village, so we walked over together.
The sun had already risen, shining on the rows of blue tents in Dahe Village, Dahejia Town, Jishishan County, Linxia Prefecture, Gansu Province. It was a temporary resettlement site in the earthquake-stricken area of Jishishan Mountain. In the bitter morning breeze, the heat rose and dissipated.
At 23:59 on December 18, 2023, on a cold winter night, a sudden earthquake made Jishishan County, Linxia Prefecture, an originally unknown place, the focus of national attention overnight. According to Xinhua News Agency, as of 8 o'clock on the 22nd, the earthquake has killed 117 people in Gansu and injured 781 people. As of 22:00 on the 21st, the earthquake has killed 31 people in Haidong City, Qinghai Province, injured 198 people, and lost contact with 3 people.
According to Xinhua News Agency, since 3 p.m. on December 19, the rescue work in Gansu Province for the 6.2-magnitude earthquake in Jishishan has basically ended, and the focus of the work has shifted to the treatment of the injured and the resettlement of the affected people.
Life still has to go on. In the new year, the victims of Jishi Mountain will want to rebuild their lives.
Beef noodles
Ma Zhongming, 60, received beef noodles in a plastic lunch box and sat aside to eat them. Bright red spicy seeds, mixed with green chopped coriander. Xinhua News Agency reporter Hu Weijie saw this picture and took a picture of it.
"Northwest people love noodles, and Gansu people love beef noodles. Chewy noodles served with delicious beef broth, meat cubes, radish, sprinkled with coriander and garlic sprouts, and topped with a spoonful of spicy seeds made with chili flakes and chili oil, are a classic breakfast accompaniment for Gansu people. The Xinhua News Agency reporter wrote in the report, "In the harsh winter, after eating a bowl of beef noodles, I sweated all over my body, and my body and mind were warm." Even after the earthquake, many locals like Ma Zhongming still recite the 'favorite' of beef noodles. ”
The disaster came suddenly, causing great harm to the local population. A large number of residents' houses collapsed, which had a great impact on the lives of the victims in the later period. Especially because it is located in the northwest, and the temperature can be as low as -15 degrees Celsius in some places.
According to Wang Yong, deputy director of the Gansu Provincial Department of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, the epicenter of the earthquake was very shallow and it was a thrust earthquake, which released a lot of energy. At the same time, Jishishan County is located on sedimentary strata, at the junction of the Loess Plateau and the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, on the western edge of the Loess Plateau. Relevant studies have shown that earthquakes in the Loess Plateau will have a significant site amplification effect, resulting in greater surface destructive power.
Xinhua News Agency mentioned in its report that although some farmers have built new houses, they prefer to live in old houses with ondols in winter, which are more convenient and economical than new houses with heating stoves. The assessment found that many of the casualties were due to living in old homes. Experts say the earthquake highlights the urgency of improving the seismic performance of rural houses.
Fortunately, rescue forces were also assembled at a breakneck pace. One hour after the earthquake, the first trapped person was rescued, and six hours after the earthquake, tents equipped with stoves were set up neatly, the affected people had eaten hot meals, and communications were basically restored.
From dispatch to installation of more than 700 prefabricated houses, it took less than 36 hours for Minhe County, Qinghai......
"Compared with previous rescue operations, this time the social emergency response was particularly fast, and many teams rushed to the disaster area before 5 o'clock on the 19th to carry out rescue, which can be clearly seen that China's civil emergency response force has made great progress. Wang Haibo, chairman of the Chengdu Fishery Public Welfare Development Center, told the reporter of "Chinese Philanthropist" magazine.
On December 22, the verification and assessment of earthquake disaster losses was launched, and 28 experts from relevant industries and fields arrived in the disaster area to carry out assessment and guidance, and the assessment results will provide a scientific and rigorous decision-making basis for post-disaster recovery and reconstruction.
Reconstruction challenges
On December 25, 2023, the Coordination and Reconstruction Steering Group for Post-Disaster Recovery and Reconstruction of Jishishan County, Gansu Province was officially established, with six working groups, namely the Disaster Damage Assessment Group, the Earthquake and Geological Hazard Assessment Group, the Housing and Village Construction Group, the Planning and Preparation Group, the Policy Fund Group, and the Supervision and Inspection Group.
However, due to the special geographical location and climate, the reconstruction in the true sense of the word will not begin until 2024.
"We are in an alpine region here, the winter is cold, minus ten degrees Celsius, and the cement mortar cannot solidify normally at low temperatures, so we can only wait until the beginning of spring to start construction. The affected people told the reporter of China Business Daily.
On December 22, 2023, in Xiaojia Village Cultural Square, Liuji Township, Jishishan County, Gansu Province, a little girl has a smile on her face after receiving food
A staff member in charge of coordinating disaster relief materials told China Philanthropist magazine that the reconstruction of damaged houses in the disaster area will not be carried out until May 2024 at the earliest, and will not be completed until at least July or August 2024 after the start of construction.
Rebuilding earthquake-stricken areas is a complex and lengthy process. The problems mentioned by Xinhua News Agency in its previous article on the reconstruction of the Wenchuan earthquake can be used as a reference: How to scientifically select a site, how to solve the problem of funding, how to ensure the quality of the project, whether the electricity can meet the demand, whether the road traffic can be smooth, when will the circulation system be unblocked, and when will the agricultural infrastructure in the disaster area be repaired?
"The earthquake was widespread, and the number of damaged houses was huge, and many of them could not be reinforced, and it would take a lot of money to tear them down and rebuild. Gansu No. 1 Installation Engineering Co., Ltd. was responsible for the early road repair and post-disaster resettlement work in this earthquake, the relevant person in charge of the company told China Philanthropist.
According to a paper published in the journal North China Earthquake Science, there are three common types of support for post-disaster reconstruction: central government support, which provides the vast majority of reconstruction funds and provides programmatic advice on reconstruction efforts, and local non-governmental organizations (NGOs).
According to Xinhua News Agency, on December 25, the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Emergency Management once again allocated 400 million yuan of central natural disaster relief funds to support earthquake relief in Gansu and Qinghai, focusing on emergency relief for the affected people, transitional resettlement, bereavement of victims, and restoration and reconstruction of damaged houses. Previously, the Ministry of Finance, together with relevant departments, has issued 700 million yuan of earthquake disaster relief subsidies in Gansu and Qinghai provinces, plus the funds allocated this time, a total of 1.1 billion yuan has been issued, including 845 million yuan in Gansu and 255 million yuan in Qinghai.
At the same time, social rescue forces have also participated in the reconstruction process, and as of December 26, the disaster area has received a total of 1.165 billion yuan in donations from all walks of life.
On December 25, 2023, the order of production and life in the earthquake-stricken areas of the two provinces is being restored. Schools have gradually reopened, shops have opened one after another, industrial enterprises have gradually resumed work, more than 8,000 prefabricated houses have been installed, and public infrastructure such as drinking water, electricity, toilets, and fire protection have also been put into use. Xinhua News Agency reporters saw that the panic caused by the earthquake gradually faded on people's faces, and they began to plan to rebuild their homes.
●Sources:
Xinhua News Agency, China Media Group, China News Service, China Philanthropist Magazine, China Business Network, etc