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Abstract
Chengdu, the provincial capital of Sichuan and a few hours drive away from the earthquake epicentre of Wenchuan, was where most of the 45000 medical relief volunteers from outside the province first assembled to obtain access to the affected sites.3,4 Although high-rise buildings in the city did not seem to be damaged, an unspoken emptiness was in the air since most citizens had temporarily moved to rural areas to avoid any potential collapse of the massive urban structures within the city. [...] while the immediate rescue and response was managed in a swift and effective manner, the lack of emergency preparedness and training for medical staff to face the challenges of a natural disaster in a high-risk geographic area should signal an important lesson for future policy development.