Disaster Relief
In 2005, China faced serious natural disasters such as floods,
typhoons, droughts, hailstorms, earthquakes, heavy snowfall, frosts
and landslides. Direct economic losses from these stood at about
204.2 billion yuan, up 27.4 percent over the previous year. During
the year, 38.82 million hectares of cropland were affected by
disasters, up 4.6 percent over the previous year. Of it, 4.6
million hectares failed to support any crop, up 5.4 percent. Forest
fires affected 73,000 hectares of forests, 48.4 percent over the
previous year. Direct economic losses caused by marine disasters in
2005 were about 33.2 billion yuan, increasing 5.1 times over the
previous year. Eighty-two red tides were discovered during the
year, 14 times less than in the previous year; the total area
affected by red tides was about 27,070 square km, up 1.7 percent
over the previous year. The number of geologic disasters causing
deaths or direct economic losses of more than 500,000 yuan for the
year stood at 854, resulting in direct losses of 3.65 billion yuan.
Thirteen earthquakes were measured at Richter 5 and above,
affecting 2.08 million people and 15,040 square km, with direct
economic losses of 2.6 billion yuan.
Facing serious disasters, China further enhanced state emergency
aid for natural disasters and the comprehensive coordination of
fighting disasters and disaster relief. According to the National
Preparatory Plan for Relief Work in Natural Disaster, in 2005, the
Ministry of Civil Affairs launched 30 emergency disaster relief
operations for 18 provinces in succession. It dispatched 62
disaster relief groups and allocated 66,980 tents ensuring that
those affected were reached within 24 hours of being hit.
In 2005, China undertook to rebuild 1.97 million houses in the
wake of disasters, among which 1.682 million have been completed,
accounting for 85.39 percent of the total. The total capital input
for this effort was 4.754995 billion yuan. Of this, 416.1 million
yuan came from central finance, accounting for 8.75 percent;
734.919 million yuan, or 15.45 percent, came from local input;
267.302 million yuan, or 5.6 percent, from social donations; and
3.336673 billion yuan, or 70.2 percent, from capital raised by
disaster-affected families. In addition, the Ministry of Civil
Affairs also allocated relief funds of 1.1 billion yuan for victims
suffering from food shortage in spring, and 1.2 billion yuan for
victims suffering in winter. A total of 15.56 million relief cards
were distributed in 2005, helping 45.74 million affected
people.
In January 2005, the State Council decided to change the name of
the China Commission for the International Disaster Reduction to
the State Disaster Reduction Commission, and further perfect the
system of disaster relief. A commission comprising 18 academicians
and well-known experts was established, to set up the mechanism for
expert consultancy in national disaster relief. A 24-hour mechanism
of monitoring disaster damage was also established and the
modalities of monthly meetings on disaster damage of the relevant
departments under the Central Government, further improved.
In 2005, China formally signed the pact on cooperation between
member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in disaster
relief assistance, actively participated in the world conference on
disaster reduction, successfully launched the first
ministerial-level Asian Disaster Reduction Conference, offered
training courses to 31 officials engaged in relief work from 11
tsunami-affected countries and organized governmental and civil
disaster relief assistance to the those affected by the Indian
Ocean tsunami and the earthquakes in Pakistan.
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