From providing food and medical supplies to promising monetary compensation, Beijing’s response to the Zhouqu landslide disaster has been speedy.

Heavy rain triggered landslides and flooding in Zhouqu County in Gansu Province, China, leaving more than 1,200 dead, and thousands homeless. Here’s a closer look at how the survivors are faring, and how they will be helped by the government.

 

Food

Victims of the landslides are distributed bread, instant noodles, bottles of mineral water and other daily necessities.

 

Children carrying food rations in devastated Zhouqu County

 

An elderly lady with bread and water

 

Water

A 1-kilometre-long water pipe, fixed with 10 taps, has been installed to provide potable water to residents.

Longzhou Grand Hotel is the only 3-star hotel in Zhouqu County, and has its own well. Since August 8, they have been providing water to residents of the neighbouring village, all round the clock.

 

Collecting water

Accommodation

Nearly 5,000 victims of the disaster have been temporarily housed in four settlement areas.

Others are seeking refuge with friends and relatives.

 

Tents provide shelter for disaster victims

Other images of the destroyed Zhouqu County:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Medical Help

“Already, 36 teams comprising 451 medical staff have arrived in Zhouqu,” said a spokesman for the county’s health office. The teams come from Qinghai, Sichuan, Shanxi, the Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, the People’s Liberation Army and the police.

Medical supplies have also been donated, especially disinfectant, which is used in particularly large quantities for the floods-stricken county. Roads and buildings in the affected areas are being disinfected four times daily.

According to Dr Guan Xinping, a doctor at the Zhouqu County People’s Hospital, there has not been a significant increase in the number of patients over the past four days.

 

Caring for the Environment

As relief efforts mounted, so, too, did the rubbish on the streets, such as empty plastic bottles and instant noodle packets. However, since two days ago, the residents of Zhouqu have started cleaning up their streets – students and the elderly, especially women, are going around with a big bag, picking up the discarded items and sending the trash to designated collection points.

 

Monetary Relief

Monetary aid provided by the government will be as follows:

1. For those who urgently need help – each person will receive 150 yuan a day, for a period of 15 days.

2. For those who need help over an extended period – each will receive 10 yuan a day, plus 1 jin (0.5 kilogramme) of food supplies, for a maximum period of 3 months.

3. Compassion funds – for every family member deceased, the family will receive 8,000 yuan that will help cover funeral expenses

4. For those whose properties were destroyed as a result of the disaster – farmers whose farmland is destroyed will be entitled to 20,000 yuan per household; for properties that need repairing, 4,000 yuan per household; for properties that have to be rebuilt, 25,000 yuan per household.

 

Mass burial ground for disaster victims

 

A close-up shot

 

This article is an excerpt of a post originally published on 在路上的记录者 in August 2010.