May has already been a particularly brutal month for natural disasters, with the Burma cyclone, tornadoes in the U.S. and, most recently, the devastating earthquake in China, which seismologists say registered at magnitude 7.9. Rescue efforts near the epicenter have been hindered by rain and aftershocks, but with thousands still trapped in the wreckage every minute counts.
BBC:
Troops have arrived in Wenchuan county at the epicentre, which was largely cut off by the quake—but heavy rain is hampering rescue operations.
Elsewhere in Sichuan province, frantic efforts are being made to reach thousands of people under the rubble.
The death toll is now more than 12,000, officials say, and looks set to rise.
Chinese rescuers search a collapsed building for survivors in Beichuan, Sichuan province, on Tuesday.
In one city, Mianyang, near the epicentre, more than 18,000 people are said to be buried under the rubble, state news agency Xinhua reports.
In the nearby town of Mianzhu, at least 4,800 people are trapped, and massive landslides have buried roads to outlying villages, state news agency Xinhua says.
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By Douglas Chalmers, May 14, 2008 at 6:35 pm #
Yes, it IS all connected, Purple Girl. Its called the Earth’s crust and you’d think that they would have it worked out better by now, uhh.
But there was a 6.8 quake off the coast of Japan last week and another of 6.7 areound Guam. There was a 5.2 quake in Afghanistan a day before the one in China and a 5.8 off Sumatra, Indonesia today.
Report thisBy purplewolf, May 14, 2008 at 5:54 pm #
We had quakes felt here in Michigan a few weeks ago also. And yes all things are connected.
Report thisBy Purple Girl, May 14, 2008 at 11:55 am #
Having live in California for about 7 yrs- survived the ‘89 quake in the Bay area, I’ve noticed the almost predictable sequence of these Quakes around the Globe. Reno was shaking just last month.
Report thisSeems we should be better able to follow or at least guess where the next will happen. String Theory- We are all connected in way way or another. It’s about time we all start acting like it!
By Douglas Chalmers, May 13, 2008 at 8:08 pm #
Red Cross Society of China http://202.108.59.10/english/index.htm
This website is very slow at the moment - best to use your local Red Cross Society if you wish to help.
Report thisBy Douglas Chalmers, May 13, 2008 at 8:03 pm #
Quote: Following are facts and figures of the quake and relief work…....
—As of 7 p.m. Tuesday, southwestern Sichuan Province has reported 12,012 death in Monday’s quake, according to the disaster relief center under the State Council.
Another 9,404 were buried in debris, 7,841 were missing and 26,206 people were injured, according to the headquarters.
—As of Tuesday noon, the central government had allocated 860 million yuan (122.86 million U.S. dollars) for disaster relief to quake-hit areas.
—Public donations reached 221.67 million yuan (31.66 million U.S. dollars) in both cash and goods as of 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday, according to the Ministry of Civil Affairs.
—Almost 20,000 soldiers and armed police had arrived in the quake-hit areas of Sichuan Province and another 30,000 soldiers were en route to the area by air, rail and road, and on foot, the Defense Ministry said on Tuesday. http://english.cri.cn/3126/2008/05/12/Zt902@356259.htm
“Strong earthquake jolts China” - check slideshow at http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/photo/slideshows.html
How you can help - The Ministry of Civil Affairs has authorized the Red Cross Society of China and China Charity Federation to receive donations for quake-hit areas. http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2008-05/14/content_ 6682758.htm
Report thisBy Lester Ness, May 13, 2008 at 6:36 pm #
(Unregistered commenter)
I don’t know anything about Wenchuan County, but a large portion of Western Sichuan is inhabited by Tibetans.
Lester Ness
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