Anti-quake heroes honored as arduous post-quake construction goes on

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-10-09 00:08

BEIJING - China held a ceremony here on Wednesday to honor 522 individuals and 320 organizations for their relief efforts after the May 12 earthquake struck the country's southwest.

At the ceremony, President Hu Jintao urged the country to promote the anti-quake spirit in fighting ways to rebuild homes in the quake-stricken areas.

Under the swift move of the government, army and volunteers, more than 80,000 people were pulled out of the debris and more than 4.3 million were given timely treatment.

Among the honored was Jiang Min, a policewoman renowned in China for her devotion to quake victims while 10 of her own relatives, including her mother and two-year-old daughter, died in the devastating quake.

"The honor should belong to the Chinese people. I'm just an ordinary person after I return to my post, and I will do my duties as others do," she said.

At present, the post-quake construction is being carried out fervently in quake-stricken areas such as Sichuan, Shanxi and Gansu. As the winter nears, whether people could get through the cold season safely, when the millions of collapsed houses could be rebuilt, and whether the frequent secondary disasters could be prevented are problems governments have to face.

Just before the October 1 National Day, a rainstorm struck most of the quake-hit areas in Sichuan Province. A flood and mudslides left 16 dead and 48 missing, and tens of thousands of houses were shattered or toppled.

Nearly 13,000 points with geological risks were uncovered in the quake-hit areas, said Xu Shaoshi, the Land and Resources Minister, on Tuesday.

Another challenge was sewage treatment.

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