- Beijing plans to build more than 1,000 emergency shelters
in the next few years.
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- There are also plans for temporary shelters in sports
complexes and large parks.
-
- The city already has a well-equipped underground emergency
shelter that could be used in case of earthquakes or war.
-
- China's first such shelter was completed last October
in the Yuandadu Park - on the city wall ruins of the capital of the Yuan
Dynasty (1279-1368).
-
- On the surface it's impossible to tell Yuandadu Park
apart from other sites.
-
- The emergency shelter is hidden by lush grass and trees.
-
- Should an earthquake or fire hit, however, the park can
suddenly turn into a safe haven for some 230,000 Beijing residents.
-
- Makeshift toilets are added with concrete lids and covered
by sod. Emergency wells are capped by plastic rockery. The bases of statues
are hollow and can be used as storehouses.
-
- Moreover, some of the street lamps in the park are equipped
with monitors and in case of disasters they can be put into operation to
give information for material dispatching and personnel control.
-
- Song Wei, an official with the seismological bureau,
said the 38-hectare shelter in the park is divided into seven areas and
is equipped with power and water facilities as well as fire-prevention
facilities, restrooms and storehouses.
-
- It also has headquarters, epidemic prevention stations,
specialized living zones and even two helicopter landing pads. Up to 250,000
people can live in the shelter for up to a week, said Song.
-
- According to the seismological bureau, the pilot project
is only the first step of Beijing's plan to build a citywide emergency
haven system.
-
- Similar facilities will be built in Beijing's eight downtown
districts and even in a wider area.
-
- The city has 5,300 hectares of land that can be used
for emergency shelters, including 140 parks, covering an area of 4,760
hectares.
-
- While the "Emergency Shelter" signs in plaques
around the northeast of the city have aroused curiosity of passers-by,
experts with the Beijing Seismological Bureau said the new facilities are
a precaution against natural disasters.
-
- They said their construction was guided by forward planning
and safety considerations.
-
- The bureau said its aim is to ensure all residents in
Beijing have access to appropriate shelters in the near future.
-
- The Huangchenggen Relics Park - the ancient wall of the
imperial city of Ming and Qing dynasties (1368-1911), and the Dongdan Stadium
will soon be reconstructed to also act as emergency shelters, the bureau
announced.
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- http://www1.chinadaily.com.cn/en/doc/2004-02/02/content_302150.htm
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