Post-disaster rural housing reconstruction in flood-hit areas has started in Yuzhong County, northwest China's Gansu Province, aiming to help affected residents move into new homes soon.
Torrential rain lashed Yuzhong and some other parts of Lanzhou City, the provincial capital, on August 7, triggering flash floods which have affected eight townships in Yuzhong, impacting over 2,000 residents from 485 households and damaging more than 2,500 houses.
"Our primary task is to conduct a preliminary seismic assessment of six resettlement sites initially selected by the government. Since this site is situated between the Maxian Mountain fault zone and the Xinglong Mountain fault zone, at a relatively close distance, we're here to determine its precise position, in order to provide scientific support for the government's subsequent decision making and the resettlement implementation," said Liu Xiaofeng, deputy director of the earthquake risk prevention center of Gansu Earthquake Agency.
To ensure the safety of residents, the county government has organized third-party agencies to conduct safety assessments of the damage to houses in affected villages.
Preliminary results show that approximately 80 homes need to relocate and rebuild in Maliantan Village, one of the hardest-hit areas.
Deputy head of Mapo Township, Wei Zhoujun, shared the considerations for a resettlement site from aspects of connection and traffic.
"First, the site needs to be close to the previous residential areas, allowing locals to stay concentrated. Placing a centralized resettlement zone here is convenient for infrastructure like water, electricity, road networks, and transportation. Additionally, it's near the Xinghuang Highway. These factors were comprehensively considered," said Wei.
In Shangzhuang Village, near Maliantan Village, a preliminary site for a centralized resettlement area capable of accommodating 20 affected households has also been designated.
"The advantages of this place are its higher elevation, flat terrain, and at a center of the Shangzhuang Village, right behind the villagers committee. The road access is also manageable, it's just a straight 200-meter stretch to the main road," said Chen Wankai, the Party chief of the Shangzhuang Village, Mapo Township.
Following the disaster, drones were used to take a great number of photos of Mapo's Maliantan and Jiuzhuanggou villages, producing post-disaster orthophoto maps of the two villages. Comparing these with the images shot in 2024 clearly reveals the extent of the flood impact.
Post-flood reconstruction starts in northwest China county
