How China responded to the May 2008 earthquake during the emergency and rescue period

This article describes the overall damage caused by the May 2008 earthquake in Beichuan County of Sichuan Province in China and the response over the initial three-month 'Emergency Response and Rescue Period' as defined by the Chinese government. We hope to inform people by sharing observations and that lessons from the earthquake can be learned in order to make response to similar disasters more effective in future. We used questionnaires to collect data from the County government authorities, including the health bureau, civil affairs bureau, county hospital, and authorities in four townships, four township hospitals, and four village health posts. In addition, we conducted semi-structured interviews with major directors of each department. The catastrophic damage caused by the earthquake attracted rapid and widespread responses from all the departments within the County as well as many external organizations. The inputs from the central government and other provincial and municipal government authorities, external medical teams, voluntary associations, other countries, and international organizations played important roles in minimizing the risk to survivors and maintaining social order. By formulating emergency plans, departments could more effectively fulfill their functions. Additional strategies are required to enhance cooperation and coordination between different sectors, and to help social organizations and the general public actively contribute so that similar disasters can be more effectively dealt with in the future. Journal of Public Health Policy (2009) 30, 379-394. doi: 10.1057/jphp.2009.30