Effective deployment

"China's mobilization and response efficiency improved after the Wenchuan earthquake," Chief Engineer Qu Guosheng of the China Earthquake Emergency Search and Rescue Center said. "It took only tens of minutes to assess damage and activate relief work after the May 12 earthquake, and even less time after the Yushu quake," he added. Lieutenant General Li Changcai, commander of relief forces in both the Wenchuan and Yushu earthquakes, also commented on the high-speed efficiency of decision-making in the maneuver and transportation of personnel and materials in the Yushu rescue effort.

Experience gained from the Wenchuan earthquake enabled China to carry out even more effective deployment of its rescue forces in Yushu. For instance, fire fighters and the national rescue team were put to work in the county seat where their expertise and specialized equipment were most needed, and generic rescuers were assigned to rural areas where most dwellings were of wood and earth.

Modern technologies, such as nimble apparatus capable of detecting signs of life amid the ruins, and satellite and unmanned planes that collected survey data, played an even bigger role in the Yushu rescue work.

Meanwhile, the government set up open channels of information on the extent of losses and progress of the relief effort. The State Council Information Office set up two news centers respectively in Yushu and the provincial capital of Xining and held daily press conferences to keep local media updated. More than 650 reporters from 185 domestic and international news agencies came to Yushu during the two-week quake aftermath. The government also ensured that the public was kept informed of the sources, amounts and destinations of the many donations that flooded in.

To rule out any possibility of hitches, rescue work was both minutely planned and executed. For example, in the knowledge that 90 percent of the Yushu population is Tibetan, the State Ethnic Affairs Commission mobilized 500 Tibetan translators to help in the rescue effort.

Humanitarian care

The first 72-hour period after an earthquake is critical. The Yushu rescue headquarters divided the region into 19 sections and, inch-by-inch, raked through the rubble in each. During these crucial 72 hours, 1,433 victims were pulled alive out of rubble. Rescuers had undergone training to ensure quake victims suffer no additional injuries in the process of being taken out of debris. They also gave psychological counseling at the site of the epicenter.

Rescue work carried on after the 72-hour deadline under the principle of "Don't give in, don't give up." This proved life-saving counsel when, seven days after the disaster, another 22 survivors were found. This miraculous rescue prompted workers to carry out a further three-day intense search to ensure that not a single survivor had been missed.

The local government arranged burials and cremations for the 2,000 or more dead bodies recovered according to local customs and religious rites. The state made April 21 a national day of mourning; all entertainment activities were canceled, and print and website media were published only in black and white.

Those lucky enough to survive the disaster lost all but the clothes on their backs. Within 48 hours of the quake, the majority had been placed in temporary tent accommodation, where they received drinking water, hot food and medical attention. Quake orphans were taken to bigger cities like Beijing for rehabilitation courses, and a number of students were transferred to schools in other regions to avoid major disruptions to their studies.

The state also kept an eye on the rescuers working hard and long in low temperatures at high altitude. Any displaying symptoms of altitude sickness were transported out of the region, and all volunteers were warned of the health risks involved in the work they were about to throw themselves into.