Sichuan Earthquake One Year Report: May 2009

On 12 May 2008, a massive earthquake measuring 8.0 on the Richter scale struck Sichuan Province’s Wenchuan County. More than 120 million people in Sichuan and the adjoining provinces of Gansu, Shaanxi, Yunnan, and Chongqing were exposed to the moderate and severe shaking effects of the earthquake. The Wenchuan earthquake left 88,000 people dead or missing and nearly 400,000 injured. The earthquake damaged or destroyed millions of homes, leaving five million people homeless. The earthquake also caused extensive damage to basic infrastructure, including schools, hospitals, roads, and water systems.