Life of Guangzhou - GZ Ranks 25th among 30 Provincial Cities in Earthquake Risk

It is learned from an earthquake photo exhibition held by the Guangdong Science and Technology Museum, Guangzhou ranks No. 25 of 30 provincial-level cities in an earthquake disaster risk assessment. The possibility of earthquake in Guangzhou was higher than Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin and Chongqing, but far lower than Shijiazhuang, Chengdu and Haikou.

Beijing Normal University scientists evaluated the earthquake disaster risk of the Chinese cities. During the course of the evaluation, three main indicators were considered: the strength of the disaster (such as magnitude), vulnerability (anti-seismic capacity of population, GDP and buildings) and response capacity (evacuation, rescue and other emergency response capabilities).

According to the literature, an earthquake above 6 on the Richter scale has not occurred in the Pearl River Delta Region since human activities were recorded in this region. The number of earthquakes in Guangzhou was even fewer. So the public and even government officials may have a feeling that an earthquake would not occur in the PRD.

Experts pointed out that the entire southeast coast of China is located at the Pacific seismic Rim. The PRD Region is on a location where an earthquake of 7 on the Richter scale could quite possibly occur, "Therefore, we can not neglect the risk!"

A summer camp, on the theme of "animals and earthquakes", was held by the Guangzhou Zoo. High school students could learn about basic knowledge of earthquakes, the abnormal phenomena of animals before and after the Wenchuan earthquake and experts explanations of animals' "super capacities", emergency drills, and so on.

The lizards, frogs, snakes, cranes in the Zoo are monitored. Unusual animal behaviors would be recorded and reported to the Earthquake Administration.

It was also revealed that more than RMB 100 million would be invested by the Earthquake Administration to build Guangzhou's first earthquake museum at the zoo, where pictures and information on animals in earthquakes would be displayed. The museum would become a long-term base on the introduction of earthquake knowledge.

[More Guangzhou News]