Sichuan, China: An Earthquake that Brought Together Local, National, an

The Sichuan province in mainland china has had a long history of seismic activity. On May 12th, 2008 the village of Wenchuan County located in Sichuan province was struck by an 8.0 magnitude earthquake. According to the State Council Information Office, the causalities from this disaster were approximately 70,000, with approximately 10,000 confirmed to have been school children, whose deaths resulted from 7,000 collapsed classrooms and 18,000 more individuals, were reported missing (Teets, 330). The earthquake which struck Wenchuan County resulted in bringing together relief efforts from local, national, and international communities. A few examples are: Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), Volunteer crews, Military efforts, Sichuan airlines, Red-Cross and many donations from international communities. These relief efforts, a result of strong government communication also, led to strengthening the devastated village and the nation of China. The involvement in recovery effor ts strengthens civil society’s individual capacity through mass networks of volunteers and donors, learning new skills in project management, and demonstrating to the government potentially positive roles the community can do. Relief efforts by groups help to build trust and connect potential volunteers and donors on behalf of foreign governing institutions. This essay aims to discuss these efforts in greater detail and provide numerous examples of successful recovery projects in Sichuan province. The earthquake which devastated Wenchuan County was a result of stress built up between the colliding Indian plate and Eurasian plate tectonics. This disaster left more than 4.8 million residents homeless in this village, ironically the 2008 Beijing Summ... ...struction efforts: the emergence of civil society in China?." The China Quarterly 198 (2009): 330-347. Vià ±a, Andrà ©s, et al. "Effects Of Natural Disasters On Conservation Policies: The Case Of The 2008 Wenchuan Earthquake, China." AMBIO - A Journal Of The Human Environment 40.3 (2011): 274-284. Academic Search Complete. Web. 31 Mar. 2014. Ying, Liang, and Wang Xiukun. "Developing A New Perspective To Study The Health Of Survivors Of Sichuan Earthquakes In China: A Study On The Effect Of Post-Earthquake Rescue Policies On Survivors' Health-Related Quality Of Life." Health Research Policy & Systems 11.1 (2013): 1-21. Academic Search Complete. Web. 31 Mar. 2014 Zhang, Xia, et al. "The NHV rehabilitation services program improves long-term physical functioning in survivors of the 2008 Sichuan earthquake: a longitudinal quasi experiment." PloS one 8.1 (2013): e53995.