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Link:

benfieldhrc.org/" target="_self">Benfield ¹û¶³Ó°Ôº Hazard Research Centre

Prompted by the Sichuan earthquake on 12 May 2008, a delegation from the Science & Technology Section of the Chinese Embassy to the UK visited the Benfield ¹û¶³Ó°Ôº Hazard Research Centre on 21 May 2008.

The delegation was led by Minister Counsellor Dr Wang Baoqing, and accompanied by Professor David Cope of the UK Parliamentary Office of Science & Technology. The delegation came to learn about hazard and disaster work at ¹û¶³Ó°Ôº, particularly that relating to earthquakes.

The visit was convened by Dr Stephen Edwards, who gave an overview of the Benfield ¹û¶³Ó°Ôº Hazard Research Centre after Professor Moira Yip (¹û¶³Ó°Ôº Pro-Provost for China, Hong Kong & Macao) had welcomed the delegation to ¹û¶³Ó°Ôº.

Dr Tiziana Rossetto (¹û¶³Ó°Ôº Civil, Environmental & Geomatic Engineering) then described research in earthquake engineering at the ¹û¶³Ó°Ôº Earthquake & People Interaction Centre (EPICENTRE). This was followed by Dr Cassidy Johnson (¹û¶³Ó°Ôº Development Planning Unit), who stressed the importance of careful planning during post-earthquake reconstruction. The presentations were brought to a close by Visiting Professor Adrian Chandler of the Benfield ¹û¶³Ó°Ôº Hazard Research Centre, who delivered a case study on the Sichuan earthquake. Lucy Stanbrough (Benfield ¹û¶³Ó°Ôº Hazard Research Centre) presented the delegation with a compilation of maps and satellite images of earthquake-affected areas in Sichuan.

The visit culminated with a discussion of the application of ¹û¶³Ó°Ôº expertise to assist with post-earthquake recovery in Sichuan, and better disaster preparedness and recovery in general. ¹û¶³Ó°Ôº staff will now approach colleagues in several Chinese universities to explore opportunities for collaboration in three key areas: mapping and hazard zonation; post-disaster assessment and reconstruction; and education and training.

Image: Mr Pan Zeyong, Mr Tong Wei, Dr Cassidy Johnson, Dr Wang Baoqing, Dr Tiziana Rossetto, Professor Moira Yip, Dr Stephen Edwards, Ms Lucy Stanbrough, Professor David Cope and Ms Yingtong Xi