Meta-synthesis pattern of post-disaster recovery and reconstruction: based on actual investigation on 2008 Wenchuan earthquake

A devastating Ms8.0 earthquake struck Wenchuan on May 12, 2008, a historical county in Sichuan Province, southwest China, which affected more than half of China. This article makes a comparative study on the pre-earthquake prevention and post-earthquake reconstruction of 14 world-famous earthquakes in the last 100 years, generalizes the various problems in the process of recovery and reconstruction and analyzes the reasons for the enormous damage caused by these earthquakes. Through theoretical research and field investigation on post-Wenchuan earthquake recovery and reconstruction, the meta-synthesis pattern has been summarized and developed. Its ideological foundation is meta-synthesis methodology, concrete expression is Wuli–Shili–Renli three-dimensional approach, and practical realization using an integrated framework. Taking post-earthquake recovery and reconstruction as a complicated systematic project, from the vertical perspective, the whole process can be roughly divided into the phases of transitional recovery and comprehensive reconstruction. While from the horizontal perspective, each phase should have its own support systems. From an investigation of the systematic planning and comprehensive implementation, it can be concluded that post-Wenchuan earthquake recovery and reconstruction has made remarkable achievements over the past 3 years. Since disasters continue to threaten humanity around the world, especially climate-induced extreme weather events, other countries could formulate applicable integrated programs for post-disaster recovery and reconstruction, taking the Wenchuan experience as a reference. Copyright Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2012