Posted: 投稿者： sxd (10) 投稿日時： 火, 2008-05-20 08:57 | 件名: Terror from Below: The Sichuan Earthquake

Day One, 2:28 pm:

At the time, I was in Guanghan, about to give a lecture at the Civil Aviation University, 40 km north of Chengdu and closer to the quake’s epicenter. It was to be a surreal experience. I've been in a tornado and felt the helplessness one feels when pitted against Mother Nature. But, you can hide from a tornado; down in a basement. There is really no escaping an Earthquake. Its terror strikes you from below.

My class was on the 4th floor of the #2 teaching facility, when a shockwave rumbled the building. Then, the building heaved. As we hustled down the hallways and down the stairs, the sensation was the same one you get when you take off in an airplane; with that sudden weightlessness and then the rise and dip of the plane. Cement was flying and so was glass. But she held on; staggered, but not broken. I still envision in my mind’s eye, one extremely hard hit and I truly thought the end was coming. The building rumbled so loud, it seemed to be crumbling down. In that instant, I spied a large window at the 3rd floor staircase and made my plan. Then the rumble slowed… Everyone made it out safely.

All in all, we were extremely lucky.

In the immediate aftermath of the quake, excitement, confusion and shock buzzed through the crowd. Then fear set in. Fear for what might have happened elsewhere. For if we took a hit like that, what had come of our loved ones in nearby cities, towns and villages? And then the phone lines lit up like a brush fire, knocking out any service that had been left undamaged by the quake itself.

Not being able to get through to my family, I immediately set out in my car on the road back to Chengdu. What I saw on the way was an almost immediate and rapid response of the local and central governments to assess the damage and provide emergency assistance. The Army was sent into the Sichuan hills within hours and local businesses in Chengdu started supplying aid. The Chinese people really pulled together when the quake hit. That is something anyone could see quite evidently.

Day Two:

Problems mounted for the relief effort; the biggest of which was rain. If you can picture a mountainside road, barely two lanes across and just enough to squeeze through a couple of vehicles either way in the best of times and then picture half the mountain tumbling down across it and burying it for hundreds of meters in length and about 15-20 feet in depth; then you can picture the monumental task facing emergency crews to get to the hard hit areas and there were dozens of huge rock and mudslides like that all the way up the winding road to the Wenchuan epicenter.

With the roads washed out, airlift became the best way to get in, while soldiers began the hike of their lives; making their way to the heart of the disaster areas on foot. I pitied the crews out there working in the heavy rain. The human toll; let alone the emotional toll on the aid workers and victims would certainly be staggering.

Meanwhile the official death toll figures started to mount exponentially and by the 2nd day, no one had heard of the fate of the world-renowned Panda Base in Wolong.

Day Three:

Most shops are open today for business. There is some panic-buying going on of staple goods (especially bottled water) and most of the chain stores and supermarket shelves are becoming bare in the "drinkables" sections. Whether rumor-mongering or not; the locals believe that throughout history, disease breaks out after a natural disaster of this magnitude. People fear for the safety of the water and for the unidentified strains of bacteria and/or viruses that may spread from such a disaster. I think that is a reasonable reaction and that some basic precautions should be taken by the people in the area. An open feeling of grief and sadness is in the air. Normally happy-go-lucky Sichuanese have truly felt the weight of the human toll in the countryside nearby the city.

By this time, many foreigners in Chengdu, as well as from within the rest of China and other countries offered assistance in the rescue and aid effort. At this juncture though, it is not feasible to allow foreign aid workers in on the ground at this time. The security situation, as we all know, must be controlled. China places a heavy emphasis on protecting foreign visitors; and yes, some may feel it is rather restrictive in nature; but that's the way it is. Local officials do not want to be held responsible for the safety of a group of foreigners in their area. For the Chinese, that is a heavy responsibility, believe it or not. Special preparations would have to be made to accommodate any foreign relief effort and because time is of the essence, it is best to let the Chinese get on with the task at hand.

They have indeed been quick to the scene. Given the terrain and the topography of the area; a faster response is all conjecture and hindsight. Chinese Premier Wen Jia Bao, personally charged to the front-lines to offer support and encouragement to the people in their time of need, as did the local leadership of Li Chun Cheng and Chengdu Mayor Ge Hong Lin. Their efforts combined to mobilize an unprecedented, massive relief effort. In times of emergency; one huge advantage China has is man-power and the government has thrown tremendous man-power into the situation. That is why the best way for foreigners and foreign countries to assist is in monetary or hard-goods contributions. Once the area has been stabilized, there will be plenty of aid and relief opportunities for foreigners and foreign aid groups. There always has been in those relatively poor regions of Western Sichuan. So, let's be patient and not be insulted or take offense. Chinese people do appreciate assistance given by foreigners. Of that, and from my 10 years of experience in this region, I have no doubt.

Day Four:

Last night saw another mass exodus from the core of the city area as rumors flew about another "looming" seismic event. Cars lined any boulevard where the buildings were "out of reach" and people slept the night away in them, with makeshift canopies and tents hanging off the opened doors and trunks.

As the Army, armed police forces and other emergency response teams continue their struggle in the hills of Western Sichuan, locals from Chengdu also began a new aid campaign of their own, to the hard-hit cities of DuJiangYan, a mere 20 minutes down a 6-lane highway and Mianyang an hour and half away down a 4-laner. Citizens mobilized hundreds of cars, trucks, and buses and loaded them up with all sorts of goods to deliver to those in obvious need. This became one way in which foreigners could directly contribute to the relief effort. You could drive to these affected cities and actually put your donations into the hands of the people who required them. Maybe not a perfect plan and maybe not always equitable in distribution; but effective nonetheless.

Day Five:

Panic buying of goods abated yesterday, as major chain stores and supermarkets had freshly stocked shelves of goods for all to see, which put an immediate chill on personal hoarding. Hundreds of mini-miracle stories of personal struggle, determination and courage begin to roll in from the countryside and life in the city of Chengdu has calmed considerably after a couple of nights of uncertainty and worry, although a major 5.9 jolt in the early afternoon swayed downtown skyscrapers in Chengdu and triggered more landslides in the countryside, causing more fatalities. With fewer seismic events occurring overnight though and into today, the city has begun to return to some degree of normalcy.

Word has been put out by the government that inoculations are being administered in the affected areas as a preventative measure to stifle any outbreak of disease. This has calmed the people once again. Sadly, news has spread of the estimated final death toll of over 50,000 people; something unfathomable in my home country and the likes of which we have never seen and hopefully, never will.

Day Six:

The typically boisterous nightlife of a Chengdu Friday night was next to non-existent last evening. KTV's and Chinese Discos were ordered to shut down for the night and the few expat bars that remained open to service the weary and sympathetic-ear-seeking foreign crowd were rendered bass-less; that's right “bass”-less. No woofers, no sub-woofers and no backbeats. These were the edicts passed down by local authorities to ensure that Chengdu's numerous tent-towns were not disturbed by any kind of waves that might be mistaken for aftershocks; pumping techno music included.

Many people returned to work yesterday and walking down the sunny boulevard, if you hadn’t been here since Monday, you’d never have known there was a problem; with the exception of the odd red-bannered food aid convoy or sporadic runs from groups of ambulances in and out of the city. But everyone who was here knows what looms a mere 30 km outside the city. And it looms large on people’s minds. One thing that hit home hard last night, was the feeling of solidarity with the Chinese from local expats. We have seen first-hand their struggle, their grief and shared with a tear, every story of personal tragedy or triumph rolling down from the western hills.

I must say that I discovered an almost universal feeling and agreement among local expats on the effectiveness and the sincerity of the government-led relief effort. President Hu Jintao arrived in Sichuan yesterday and began his rounds alongside the stoic Premier Wen Jia Bao, to provide moral support to victims, troops, the medical community and other relief volunteers. To the Chinese people, and especially those in the villages and smaller towns of Western Sichuan, a visit by the leadership is truly an inspiring event. As this nightmare continues for our hosts, friends and families; inspiration is something that we will all require.

Canadian businessman SXD, a long-term Chengdu resident was caught, as all of us were, completely unaware, by the tremendous shock of the powerful earthquake which ripped through Sichuan on Monday May the 12th at 2:28 pm on an otherwise lazy, hazy Sichuan afternoon.