China warns of threat from dams weakened by quake

Posted by Matt in May 16th, 2008 | no comment

Published in China, Uncategorized, China Threat, Chongqing, Collapse, Dams, Earthquake, Management Information, Poor Management, Quake, Reservoirs, Sichuan, Southwest China, Tibetan Plateau

The earthquake that devastated southwest China has left many dams badly damaged, posing an unknown threat of collapse and flooding made worse by poor management and information, the country’s water minister said.
In Sichuan and Chongqing, at least 17 reservoirs have been damaged, with some dams cracked or leaking water since the quake struck on Monday, [...]

China: After the Killer Quake

Posted by Matt in May 15th, 2008 | no comment

Published in China, Chris Buckley, Communist Party, Cyclone, Earthquake, Hu Jintao, Huang Jing, Humanitarian Effort, Killer Quake, Medical Teams, Military Police, National University Of Singapore, Opprobrium, Party Leaders, Premier Wen Jiabao, Relief Workers, Reuters, Rubble, Sars Outbreak, Sichuan, Southwest China, Stern Test, University Of Singapore, Unprecedented Freedom, Wen Jiabao

China’s Communist Party leaders now face another stern test: to show its citizens and the world that the government can cope with a horrific disaster. Keenly aware of the opprobrium heaped on Burma’s rulers for their callous and incompetent handling of the killer cyclone earlier this month, Beijing will want to demonstrate that it has [...]

At least 100 dead as powerful quake hits southwest China

Posted by Matt in May 12th, 2008 | no comment

Published in China, 100 People, beijing, Deadly Earthquake, Earthquake Risk, Earthquake Victims, Epicentre, Estimates, Hindu, Magnitude, Malaysia Star, Military Official, New Scientist, Nuclear Reactors, Powerful Earthquake, Powerful Quake, Quake Relief, Quake Toll, Richter Scale, Sichuan Province, Southeast Asia, Southwest China, Southwestern China, Swathe, Thai Capital Bangkok, Wall Street Journal, Washington D.C., Washington Times, Xinhua News Agency

A powerful earthquake struck Monday close to densely populated areas of southwestern China, flattening schools and homes and killing more than 100 people, according to early estimates.
The quake, with a magnitude of 7.8 on the Richter scale, was felt in cities across a swathe of southeast Asia including the Thai capital Bangkok, more than 1,800 [...]