Home » Archive » Press Release: USAID Provides Earthquake Relief to China » Briefing by Administrator Fore - "Relief Efforts to Burma and China" » USAID Disaster Assistance »
	USAID Responds to Earthquake in China USAID's Guide to Effective Giving Center for International Disaster Information ReliefWeb
	USAID Information: USAID’s Programs in China FY 2009 Congressional Budget Justification (PDF) Selected USAID Reports External Links: U.S. State Department CIA World Factbook United Nations Development Programme World Bank Group
	Field Operations Guide for Disaster Assessment and Response Mitigation Practitioner's Handbook UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs Get Acrobat Reader...
	Web Site People (Last Name) Publications Advanced search options...

USAID Provides Earthquake Relief to China

August 8, 2008

• On July 15, a USAID/OFDA acting regional advisor traveled to Beijing to attend a workshop on post-earthquake reconstruction experiences co-hosted by the U.N. and the Government of China (GOC), and meetings related to rural shelter and housing recovery following the earthquake in Sichuan Province. The workshop brought together international experts and GOC officials to discuss the multifaceted issues surrounding recovery, as well as sustainable development practices after a major earthquake, in the context of previous earthquake responses.
• USAID/OFDA is supporting The Asia Foundation (TAF) to promote rural housing reconstruction in earthquakeaffected areas of Sichuan Province, and to raise public awareness of disaster risk reduction. USAID/OFDA has supported TAF programming in China since 2006 to enhance private sector participation in and contribution to disaster assistance, as well as to promote multi-sectoral approaches to disaster management.

Humanitarian Assistance Fact Sheets

08/08/08: Fact Sheet #6 (pdf, 52kb)
08/08/08: Map #6 (pdf, 1.6mb )

FY 2008 HUMANITARIAN FUNDING PROVIDED TO DATE IN RESPONSE TO THE EARTHQUAKE

USAID/OFDA Assistance to China:     $2,672,698
DOD² Assistance to China:     $2,204,900
Total USG Humanitarian Assistance to China:      $4,877,598

1. International Federation of the Red Cross and the Red Crescent Societies (IFRC)
2. U.S. Department of Defense (DOD)

CURRENT SITUATION

• On May 12, a magnitude 7.9 earthquake struck Wenchuan County in China’s densely populated Sichuan Province, killing nearly 70,000 people and injuring nearly 375,000 others, according to official GOC estimates. As of August 8, the GOC reported spending approximately $9.4 billion on disaster relief and reconstruction.
• As of August 6, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) had confirmed more than 950 aftershocks to the May 12 earthquake, the majority of which were between magnitude 4.0 and 4.9. On August 5, a 6.0 magnitude aftershock killed two people and destroyed more than 2,700 houses in Qingchuan county of Sichuan Province.

  Shelter and Reconstruction

• The earthquake displaced approximately 15 million people according to Sichuan provincial authorities and the IFRC. As of August 7, the GOC had relocated approximately 1.5 million earthquake-affected individuals. To date, the GOC has provided nearly 1.6 million tents, approximately 4.9 million blankets, and more than 14 million articles of clothing to affected populations. As of August 6, the GOC reported that relief workers had constructed 612,400 temporary houses and were in the process of building another 6,700, with 39,500 houses remaining to be built.
• USAID/OFDA is providing $1.2 million to TAF to promote safe rehabilitation of rural shelters and to improve disaster preparedness and mitigation in schools and communities in earthquake-affected areas of Sichuan Province. The program, to be implemented with the GOC’s Ministry of Civil Affairs (MOCA), will benefit approximately 1.1 million individuals in affected areas.

  Disaster Preparedness

• USAID/OFDA has approved $900,000 to support the second phase of TAF’s Public Private Partnerships for Disaster Management in China program. The program, which USAID/OFDA has funded since October 2006, will be extended for an additional two years.
• The program’s goal is to promote a partnership between the public and private sectors in disaster management, preparedness, and mitigation. Program participants include the Chinese private sector and member organizations of the American Chamber of Commerce. The program has been developed and implemented in close consultation with MOCA and all other relevant GOC authorities.
• Phase one program activities included training, partnership building, and community awareness campaigns. Phase two will strengthen and expand the public-private partnerships built during the first phase. The second phase of the program will engage more Chinese businesses in disaster preparedness and management initiatives and deepen multisectoral collaboration. The program will expand preparedness activities to additional communities, including Chengdu city in earthquake-affected Sichuan Province.

USG HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE

• On May 13, U.S. Ambassador Clark T. Randt, Jr., issued a disaster declaration due to the impact of the earthquake and requested disaster assistance from USAID/OFDA. In response, USAID/OFDA provided an initial $500,000 through the U.S. Embassy in Beijing to IFRC. The IFRC channeled the contribution to the Red Cross Society of China for the local procurement and distribution of emergency relief supplies.
• In response to the GOC’s request for international assistance, USAID/OFDA donated specialized search, rescue, and recovery equipment, including 40 crates of saws, hand tools, hydraulic gear, concrete cutters, generators, and personal safety equipment. In addition, USAID/OFDA deployed a nine-person team of experts from Los Angeles (L.A.) County Fire Department and Fairfax County, VA, Fire and Rescue Department, as well as USAID/OFDA support staff.
• On May 23 and 24, the USAID/OFDA-funded team conducted a series of hands-on search and rescue workshops for approximately 40 members of the Public Security and Fire Brigade of Chengdu and the Seismic Disaster Emergency Rescue team of Sichuan Province. The equipment donation and training were aimed at increasing the capacity of GOC earthquake responders as well as facilitating technical cooperation between the two countries during future emergencies.
• In response to the Chinese request for shelter assistance, USAID deployed a shelter expert and a disaster specialist to Beijing and Chengdu in early June in order to provide technical assistance and liaise with relevant GOC departments and international relief organizations. In addition, USGS led a U.S. interagency team in Beijing from June 11 to 13 to assist the China Earthquake Administration with various seismic-related issues, including earthquake monitoring and preparedness activities.
• On May 18, two U.S. Air Force C-17 aircraft arrived in Chengdu with emergency relief supplies, including blankets, plastic sheeting, tents, water containers, and food, valued at nearly $1.3 million, including transportation costs. In response to the GOC’s subsequent request for shelter assistance, DOD airlifted 153 medium-sized tents on May 28 to Chengdu. The total value of the shelter commodities, including shipment, was nearly $940,000.

Back to Top ^