Rush to complete prefab units for quake-displaced before winter cold

A villager in Maru township, Nagchu city, Xizang autonomous region, offers freshly fried kasai, a traditional Tibetan fried snack, to rescue personnel to express gratitude for their service on Tuesday. At the resettlement site, tents and prefab housing are being set up while infrastructure such as emergency water supply facilities is under construction. JIANG FEIBO/CHINA NEWS SERVICE

Authorities in Drachen county, Xizang autonomous region, are racing to complete temporary housing for thousands of residents displaced by last Thursday's magnitude-7 earthquake, which killed 16 people and injured 76.

As of Monday evening, 12,964 displaced residents were staying at 35 centralized shelters, with 3,796 tents erected and 3,182 stoves distributed, according to the county's earthquake emergency response command.

Of the 76 injured, 18 remained hospitalized as of 6 pm on Monday, including five with serious injuries.

The earthquake has caused extensive damage to rural housing. Emergency assessments covered 2,215 homes across 34 administrative villages, with 1,853 declared unsafe for use, including 297 that had collapsed. Another 288 were temporarily barred from use.

Ren Wei, head of the emergency response command, called for all prefabricated housing units to be installed by Tuesday evening at a meeting on Monday.

As of 10 pm Monday, 1,201 units had been installed out of 3,299 needed. A total of 2,764 units were available, leaving a shortage of 535.

In Maru township, one of the hardest-hit areas, Lhawang Tsering, a village official in Kongchungda village, said about 90 percent of households had suffered severe damage to their homes and livestock sheds. Only three reinforced-concrete houses remained suitable for use.

The village has received 18 prefabricated housing units for some of the worst-affected families.

"With winter approaching, rebuilding homes and livestock sheds is our most pressing concern," he said, adding that residents had received sufficient food, bedding, blankets, dried cow dung and coal.

In Nakong village of Gangchen township, resident Nangshig Kyab said villagers were still living in heated tents and expected to begin moving into prefabricated housing on Wednesday.

"We have received rice, roasted barley flour, vegetables, bottled water, quilts and mattresses. Our basic living needs are being met," he said.

Meanwhile, authorities have deployed 248 community-based disaster monitoring personnel to identify geological hazards and prevent secondary disasters.

As of 6 pm on Monday, inspections had covered 48 potential hazard sites, identifying 15 new risks. A total of 55 previously unidentified geological hazard sites have been recorded since the earthquake.

Experts from the Ministry of Natural Resources have inspected newly identified high-risk sites and temporary shelters in Maru township. They also examined a landslide north of the township's government offices to assess its causes and recommend prevention measures.

Relief efforts have also drawn public donations, with the local charity federation receiving 4,658 contributions totaling more than 6.41 million yuan ($961,500), said Ren Wei. Authorities have distributed 66,000 yuan to 16 affected families, alongside financial assistance to injured residents.

Contact the writers at palden_nyima@chinadaily.com.cn