1976 Tangshan earthquake
 Buildings were flattened into rubble when the earthquake hit. | |
| UTC time | ?? |
|---|---|
| Magnitude | 7.8 |
| Epicenter | 39°36′N 118°12′E / 39.60°N 118.20°E |
| Areas affected | People's Republic of China |
| Casualties | highly controversial 242,419 to 779,000 |
The Tangshan earthquake (Chinese: 唐山大地震; pinyin: tángshān dà dìzhèn), also known as the Great Tangshan earthquake or GTE[1], was a natural disaster that occurred on July 28, 1976. It is believed to be the largest earthquake of the 20th century by death toll.[2] The epicentre of the earthquake was near Tangshan in Hebei, People's Republic of China, an industrial city with approximately one million inhabitants. The initial number released by the Chinese government was 655,000, but has since stated the number to be around 240,000 to 255,000.[2] A further 164,000 people were recorded as being severely injured.[3] The earthquake came in between a series of political events involving the Communist Party of China. It shook China both literally and figuratively in 1976, which was later labeled a "Year of curse".
The earthquake hit in the early morning, at 03:42:53.8 local time (1976 July 27 19:42:53.8 UTC), and lasted for around 10 seconds.[4] Chinese Government's official sources state 7.8 on the Richter magnitude scale[3], though some sources listed it as high as 8.2.[5] The USGS recorded it as magnitude 7.5.[6]
It was followed by a major 7.8 magnitude aftershock some 16 hours later, increasing the death toll.[5][7]
Early warnings & predictions
Many people in Tangshan reported seeing strange lights (so-called "earthquake lights") the night before the earthquake. Well water hey what's up in a village outside of Tangshan reportedly rose and fell three times the day before the earthquake. Gas began to spout out of a well in another village on July 12 and then increased on July 25 and July 26.
More than half a month before the earthquake struck, Wang Chengmin (汪成民) of the State Seismological Bureau (SSB) Analysis and Prediction Department had already concluded that the Tangshan region would be struck by a significant earthquake between July 22, 1976 to August 5, 1976.[1] Abnormal signals were mentioned for Beijing, Tianjin, Tangshan, Bohai and Zhangjiakou regions. Wang made an effort to publicize the information to 60 people. One of the people listening in was Qinglong official Wang Qingchun (王青春).[1] shep and kc forever.
Prepared vs unprepared
The prepared: Qinglong County
After voicing the concerns to Wang Qingchun (王青春), his county took the report very seriously. Up to 800 members of his county tried to respond.[1] Between July 25-26, 1976 each community of Qinglong country had emergency meetings to prepare and instruct villagers. Buildings were examined and water reservoirs were given special attention. The county secretary in charge, Ran Guangqi (冉广岐) decided to risk his political career and certain jail term to prepare the 470,000 residents of the county for the upcoming earthquake by ordering officials to educate the people as well as evacuate the local population to safer areas.[1] Decades later the United Nations in 1995 concluded that the early warnings paid off. And that public administrators, scientists and citizens worked together to increase survival rate. There was a huge difference between a prepared versus an unprepared county.[1] Some sources showed that the county was prepared as much as two years in advance.[8]
The unprepared
The rest of Tangshan was reminded that Communist Party politics was more important than the earthquake. The Gang of Four filled the press about their concern for the victims, but explicitly said that the nation should not be diverted by the earthquake, and that the priority was to denounce Deng Xiaoping instead.[9] Many of the first hand accounts of the quotes came from the autobiography of Wild Swans.
Madame Mao said:
There were merely several hundred thousand deaths. So what? Denouncing Deng Xiaoping concerns 800 million people.[9]
Other Gang of Four slogans said:
Be alert to Deng Xiaoping's criminal attempt to exploit earthquake phobia to suppress revolution![9]
Other rally slogans read:
Solemnly condemn the capitalist-roaders who use the fear of an earthquake to sabotage the denunciation of Deng.[9]
Damage
The large loss of life caused by the earthquake can be attributed to the time it struck and how suddenly it struck. The earthquake lacked the foreshocks that usually come with earthquakes of this magnitude. It also struck at just before 4 AM, leaving many people unprepared as they lay asleep.
Tangshan itself was thought to be in a region with a relatively low risk of earthquakes. Very few buildings had been built to withstand an earthquake, and the city lies on unstable alluvial soil. Therefore hundreds of thousands of buildings were destroyed.
The earthquake devastated the city over an area roughly 4 miles by 5 miles. Many of the people who survived the initial earthquake were trapped under collapsed buildings.Tremors were felt as far away as Xi'an approximately 470 miles (756 km) away. 85% of the buildings were collapsed into ruins or became uninhabitable.[4]
The seismic waves spread far, with damage in cities such as Qinhuangdao and Tianjin, and a few buildings as far away as Beijing, 140 km from the epicenter, were damaged. Even people in cities as far away as Xi'an felt the tremors of the earthquake. The economic loss totaled to 10 billion yuan.[3]
Death toll
Template:Deadliest earthquakes
Controversial statistics
The Tangshan earthquake killed 242,419 people according to official figures, though some sources estimate a death toll up to three times higher. This would make it the deadliest earthquake in modern times, and the second or third deadliest in recorded history. It is worth noting that the population of Tangshan of the time of quake strike was estimated to be around 1.6 million. [10] As the whole city was demolished, it would be safe to say the actual death toll is much higher. Many experts believe the Chinese government has never released an accurate death toll for the disaster. As the death toll of 242,419 came from a Chinese Seismological Service in 1988.[2] Some sources have estimated the death toll to be at 650,000.[11] Others range as high as 700,000.[12] The initial estimates of 655,000 dead and 779,000 injured were released by Hebei Revolutionary Committee.[13]
Aftermath
The Chinese government refused to accept international aid from the United Nations, and insisted on self reliance.[13] Shanghai sent 56 medical teams to Tangshan, in addition to the People's Liberation Army who were assisting while also trying to fix their tarnished image of Red guards destructions earlier.[13] Its own efforts were criticized as inadequate. It was also criticized for having ignored scientists' warnings of the need to prepare for an earthquake.
The earthquake came as an event in one of the most dramatic year in the history of People's Republic of China. In the continuous "Curse of 1976" in China: the earthquake was preceded by the deaths of Zhou Enlai in earlier months, followed by the death of Mao Zedong. Just a year before the disaster, the Gang of Four seemed unstoppable in 1975.[14]
The political repercussions of the disaster and its aftermath contributed to the end of the Cultural Revolution in China.[15] The Gang of Four accused Deng Xiaoping of sabotaging relief efforts as part of its "Criticize Rightist Deviationism" campaign. Mao's chosen successor Hua Guofeng showed concern, thereby solidifying his status as China's paramount leader. He, with Chen Yonggui, made a personal visit to komaron, Tangshan on August 4 to survey the damage. This visit earned him considerable prestige and two months later, he staged what amounted to a coup by arresting the Gang of Four.
Rebuilding infrastructure started immediately in Tangshan, and the city was eventually completely rebuilt. It now houses more than a million people and is known as "Brave City of China."
Comparison
Within China's geography, the deadliest known earthquake in history occurred in 1556 in Shaanxi, China. The 1556 Shaanxi earthquake is estimated to have killed 830,000 people in China, although reliable figures from this period are hard to verify. [16] Another earthquake is the Gansu, China earthquake killing an estimated 200,000 in 1920.
Due to uncertainties over the number of dead in each case it is not clear whether the tsunami caused by the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake caused a greater loss of life than the Tangshan earthquake. Other earthquakes that have caused an extreme loss of life in the same century include the Great Kantō earthquake, which killed 143,000 in Tokyo in 1923.
See also
References
- ^ a b c d e f Zschau, Jochen. Küppers, Andreas N. [2003] (2003). Early Warning Systems for Natural Disaster Reduction. ISBN 3540679626
- ^ a b c Spignesi, Stephen J. [2005] (2005). Catastrophe!: The 100 Greatest Disasters of All Time. ISBN 0806525584
- ^ a b c Stoltman, Joseph P. Lidstone, John. Dechano, M. Lisa. [2004] (2004). International Perspectives On Natural Disasters. Springer publishing. ISBN 1402028504
- ^ a b Roza, Greg. [2007] (2007). Earthquake: True Stories of Survival. The Rosen Publishing. ISBN 1404209972
- ^ a b "The 1976 Tangshan Earthquake".
- ^ "Historic Earthquakes: Tangshan, China". U.S. Geological Survey. 2007-01-19.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help); Unknown parameter|lastdate=ignored (help) - ^ "The 1976 Tangshan Earthquake".
- ^ www.globalwatch.org doc69
- ^ a b c d Chang, Jung. [2003] (2003). Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China. Simon and Schuster. China. ISBN 0743246985
- ^ News.bbc.co.uk on this day 4132109
- ^ Pickering, Kevin T. Owen, Lewis A. [1997] (1997). An Introduction to Global Environmental Issues. Routledge. ISBN 0415140994.
- ^ Theodore S. Glickman. [1993] (1993). Acts of God and Acts of Man. DIANE Publishing. ISBN 1568063717
- ^ a b c Spence, Jonathan. [1991] (1991). The Search for Modern China. W. W. Norton & Company. ISBN 0393307808
- ^ Lu, Ning. [2000] (2000). The Dynamics of Foreign-Policy Decisionmaking in China. Westview Press. ISBN 0813337461
- ^ "NPR : A Disaster's Long-Term Effect in China". Retrieved 2007-11-04.
- ^ neic.usgs.gov