Planning Large Scale Post-disaster Recovery after the Wenchuan Earthquake in China

On May 12, 2008, a deadly earthquake that measured at 8.0 M occurred in Wenchuan County, Sichuan Province, China. As one of the most damaging catastrophes in contemporary China, the earthquake resulted in 69,227 deaths, 374,643 injuries, 17,923 missing, and an estimated direct economic loss of 845.2 billion RMB (State Council of the PRC, 2008b). After the earthquake, the Chinese government issued a series of policies to rebuild and re-develop the earthquake stricken areas. Major goals of the post-Wenchuan reconstruction policies (i.e., housing for every family, job stability for at least one family member, basic welfare, economic, infrastructure, and ecological improvements in the affected areas) were accomplished within three years, resulting in positive social and economic outcomes. In this chapter, we explain two major mechanisms, the counterpart assistance program and the sustainable development approach, that were utilized in the post-Wenchuan reconstruction. We provide an in-depth case study on the reconstruction of Shuimo town, a town that was destroyed in the earthquake. We explain how the counterpart assistance program and the sustainable development efforts have transformed Shuimo from a highly polluted town to a popular tourism destination. We further identify major lessons learned from the Shuimo case study.