Wenchuan County in China’s southwestern Sichuan province has yet again been struck by natural disaster.

Rain-induced flooding and mudslides on August 14 “ravaged” the area, resulting in at least 38 people missing and approximately 10,000 evacuated residents.

Photo: Xinhua / Wen Xin

The county first experienced disaster when about 70,000 residents died in the 7.8-magnitude earthquake on May 12, 2008.

Rescue work is already underway. Local county government is housing displaced residents in schools and government buildings, with rescue teams conducting searches for victims and coordinating removal of debris.

The Chinese government has also implemented financial policies to ease rebuilding for affected citizens in both Sichuan and Gansu, which was hit with landslides earlier this month. Xinhua reports, “China’s central bank and banking regulatory commission have ordered the country’s financial institutions to provide preferential loan policies to victims in the mudslide-hit regions of Gansu and Sichuan provinces.”

We at WildChina are heartbroken by this news. After witnessing the aftermath of the 2008 earthquake first-hand, we know how difficult the recovery process has been for the people of Wenchuan. China’s morale has been tried multiple times already this year – in Qinghai, Gansu, and now Sichuan – and our thoughts go out to the affected communities in these areas. We hope that, given the amount of damage done in the past few years, that the government has gained the experience and insight necessary to swiftly and effectively provide aid.

We are following developments closely, and will keep you informed of any updates.

All WildChina itineraries to Sichuan are currently running as planned.