Quake warning system poor
Shanxi province's earthquake administrative authorities still have a lot of work to do as their poor handling of two quake rumors in a month shows, says an article in Beijing News. Excerpts:
A rumor that an earthquake could hit Shanxi terrified people in several cities of the province, forcing many of them out on the streets around midnight on Feb 20. The denial from the local quake administrative authorities came only the next morning.
Even last month, the administration was late in denying "rumors" about a quake. But ironically, that denial was soon followed by a 4.8 intensity quake in Hejin city of the province. What's worse, the administration said the intensity of the Hejin quake was not critical enough to warn the public in advance. It is this attitude of the administration, many people said, that helped the rumors gain ground five days ago.
Two quake rumors in one province in one month have exposed the poor warning system of the administration. But Shanxi's quake administration authorities are not admitting their failure. There is nothing to suggest that they have learned a lesson from the incidents, either.
Even the second time, the administration just issued a (delayed) denial. It didn't make any effort to know why and how the rumor gained ground.
Moreover, a director of the administration refuted an explanation given by one of his colleagues who had attributed the rumor to people's misunderstanding about an emergency quake drill.
Quake and emergency response authorities across the country should learn a lesson from the Shanxi incidents and make more efforts to scotch rumors and warn people about impending natural disasters in time.
(China Daily 02/25/2010 page9)
