MILLIONS RELOCATED: China’s seismology department now says last week’s earthquake registered 8.0 on the Richter scale. The quake left 12 million people homeless in Sichuan province.

People who survived the quake now face new threats: rain, mudslides, communicable disease, and lack of shelter. The Chinese government began relocating the more than 12 million homeless who haven’t been able to move in with relatives or find shelter.

Sichuan Earthquake: Quick Facts

Government Relocates 12 Million People

The government began relocating survivors yesterday. While many quake victims moved in with relatives, others still need shelter:

• more than 5 million people lost homes
• 12.4 million people displaced
• more than 21 million homes damaged

With heavy rains in the forecast, many worry about mudslides, which have killed 200 rescue workers. Jiang Li, vice minister of civil affairs, updated reporters on aid efforts:

• nearly 280,000 tents shipped to area already
• 700,000 more tents ordered (factories working three shifts)
• 480,000 quilts sent
• 1.7 million jackets sent

Foreign Medical Teams on the Scene, or on the Way

More than a week after the quake, relief workers turned their attention from finding survivors to caring for the victims. China accepted foreign medical aid from the following countries:

• Russia—sent medical team with mobile hospital, arrived Tuesday
• Taiwan—sent 37-member medical team, arrived recently
• Japan—sending 23-member medical team, will arrive Wednesday
• Germany—sending crews of doctors, en route now
• Italy—sending crews of doctors, en route now

The Chinese government warned survivors to avoid drinking water from buildings damaged by the earthquake. Decomposing bodies and chemical waste also threaten water safety.

China Mourns Quake Victims

Today is the third and last day of China’s national mourning. Each day at 2:28 p.m.—the exact time the earthquake hit a week ago—the country came to a standstill and quietly observed three moments of silence. Television programming was interrupted, Internet portals shut down their entertainment sites, and stock trading halted.

Original Story

Earthquake in China Kills More than 32,000 (update 4)

Copyright © 2009 Informify

Sources

Sichuan: 40,000 dead in province after China quake (Associated Press, 5/20/08)

Beijing Uses Media to Shape Nation’s Mourning (Wall Street Journal, 5/20/08)

China to Relocate More Than 12 Million Quake Victims (Update1) (Bloomberg, 5/20/08)