134. Earthquake Damages

The magnitude 8.0 earthquake that struck on May 12, 2008 in Wenchuan County (Sichuan Province), was the most devastating earthquake in the history of the People's Republic of China. Over 30,000 aftershocks made rescue efforts extremely difficult. The earthquake also affected 10 other provinces, including Shanxi (Shaanxi), Gansu and Chongqing. Official figures stated that 69,227 people were confirmed dead, 17,923 were listed as missing and 15.1 million left homeless.

Estimates of the direct economic loss reached 845.1 billion RMB (124.2 billion USD), making the earthquake one of the costliest natural disasters in Chinese history. The earthquake and aftershocks also triggered secondary disasters such as landslides and avalanches. Manpower's Response - Immediate Aid and Long-Term Assistance.

Manpower is committed to long-term solutions to aid in the recovery from disasters of this scope. The loss of schools especially presents a specific challenge to communities on the long road to recovery. Because the devastation was so widespread, Manpower first acted with short-term assistance while undertaking field research to understand longer-term needs.


Soon after the earthquake, Manpower donated sleeping bags and tents (valued at RMB 100,350) which were badly needed in the earthquake-affected area, helping some of the victims pull through the earliest days of this difficult time. Based on field research, Manpower determined that there was a critical need to aid in the effort to reconstruct an elementary school in Ningqiang County, Shanxi (Shaanxi) Province.