Residents who were evacuated from villages in the mudslide-hit areas of Gyirong County in southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region have begun returning back home after the completion of safety checks, and are now gradually resuming their lives and agricultural activities.
The massive mudslide, which was triggered by a high-altitude glacier collapse in neighboring Nepal, hit the Gyirong Port on Aug. 26, killing at least 43 and leaving 519 missing in the county, as search and rescue operations continue at the core disaster area.
Local people have now been heading back to their homes in the Seqiong Village of the Sale Township, with many getting back to their regular routines and becoming busy with farm work, from drying corn to tending to livestock.
Village officials have also been visiting households to provide some food supplies and other daily necessities as the community begins to get back on its feet after the disaster.
Greenhouse production in the village is also gradually recovering, while local officials are also assessing the labor needs of each household and arranging assistance for families who may be short-handed, helping them resume agricultural production.
"We have a greenhouse cooperative, and it has now started to resume operations. We are preparing to harvest highland barley. Each household will do the harvesting itself, while we will help elderly residents who are unable to complete the work," said Bian Luo, secretary of the Party branch of Seqiong Village.
Following the mudslide, almost 500 residents across the Gyirong Town area were relocated due to the risks of secondary disasters. Since Monday, evacuated residents have begun returning home in batches, with the majority having now returned to their respective villages so far.
Before their return, relevant authorities conducted door-to-door safety inspections of houses and checked for geological disaster risks in and around the surrounding area.
"The working group on the ground has coordinated with the natural resources and housing and urban-rural development authorities to inspect the houses one by one. At present, the houses are safe, and the risks of geological disasters are under control, meaning conditions are in place for residents to return home," said Wang Chao, deputy director-general of the Disaster Relief Department of the Ministry of Emergency Management.
To strengthen monitoring of potential geological hazards, seven geological disaster risk monitoring sites have been established across the Sale Township. Staff members are conducting 24-hour monitoring and tracking any changes at the identified risk points.
Wang said authorities will also make necessary preparations for medium- and long-term monitoring based on the assessments of local geological conditions.
According to data from the National Financial Regulatory Administration, as of 17:00 Tuesday, banks had provided a total of 79 million yuan (about 11.8 million U.S. dollars) in credit to enterprises affected by the landslide disaster in the mudslide, as well as those involved in disaster relief and ensuring supplies. A total of 32 loans worth over 53 million yuan had been granted to relevant enterprises and individuals.
Meanwhile, insurance institutions had estimated total losses at 450 million yuan (over 67 million U.S. dollars), including nearly 200 million yuan in estimated losses under accident insurance and 210 million yuan under non-motor insurance, including engineering, liability and property insurance. A total of 142 insurance claims related to the disaster had been filed, with over 4.4 million yuan already paid out.
Evacuated residents return home as life gradually resumes in mudslide-hit Gyirong
Evacuated residents return home as life gradually resumes in mudslide-hit Gyirong
Evacuated residents return home as life gradually resumes in mudslide-hit Gyirong
