China recently completed its first national survey on natural disaster risks, basically understanding the risks of hidden natural disasters across the nation, an official said at a press conference Wednesday.

The nationwide survey, which lasted from 2020 to 2022 and involved 5 million people, collected a vast amount of data about natural hazards, said Zheng Guoguang, secretary-general of the China National Commission for Disaster Reduction.

"This is the first time for China to conduct a comprehensive risk survey on multiple disaster-affected bodies since the founding of New China. There is no ready-made experience or method to follow. The survey has also promoted and improved the investigation of disaster-inducing factors and led to the investigation of disaster-affected bodies. It is groundbreaking," said Zheng.

Through the survey, China has basically figured out the hidden hazards across the country and secured a clear picture of the capacity of key regions to respond to natural disasters, Zheng said, adding that the survey has laid a solid foundation for further disaster risk assessment and zoning.

The country has also investigated 89 major disasters that happened since 1949 including major earthquakes, floods, typhoons, forest and grassland fires, as well as data related to the disaster-relief measures, Zheng said.

The country also used the data acquired to build a database that includes information about all buildings nationwide, according to Zheng.

The leading group of the survey under the State Council is working with related departments and local authorities to push ahead with the construction of a national database for natural disasters, to enhance China's disaster prevention and control efforts.

(With input from Xinhua)

(If you want to contribute and have specific expertise, please contact us at nature@cgtn.com.)