Remember the risk

The Chinese government and public have attached more importance to disaster prevention and emergency response, but the trauma caused by the earthquake is fading as the disaster-stricken area moves on with reconstruction, warned Zhang, the emergency response expert.

Classrooms in the newly rebuilt Qingchuan Middle School are designed to withstand earthquakes at an intensity level that will do moderate damage to well-built ordinary structures. Students Duan Bingjiao and Li Xiaoqin, both 17, shook their heads when asked whether they had received any training on how to evacuate a building or protect themselves in a disaster.

"We've got to teach our sons and daughters the skills of survival and disaster prevention," Zhang said. "Crustal movements are still active for the moment. It's likely another huge earthquake will strike us at any time. If we forget the pain once the wound is healed, more lives will be put at risk."