It has been 2 days since the 7.8 magnitute quake happened in Sichuan province. We were in Shanghai when we heard about the earthquake. My sister was working as an Expat in Chengdu, Sichuan, when it took place. We were extremely worried about her safety as we could not contact her after the quake occurred. All communication broke down and only partially recovered 2 hours later. She said the commercial building she was working in was shaking violently. Everyone was hiding under their desk. After the shaking stop, they immediately climb down the stairs out into the streets where it was safer. At night, she did not return to her apartment fearing aftershocks might cause the building to collapse. Most of the people were sleeping on the streets and in parks.

At the roadside…

Ground floor of office building…

Sleep inside the car…

This tragedy will be a real test of the chinese government’s ability, especially since the Olympics will take place 3 months later in the capital, Beijing. So far, we have been impressed by the government’s prompt response. On the first day, chinese premier, Mr Wen JiaBao flew to the hotzone of Sichuan to direct the rescue efforts himself. Unfortunately, rescue efforts have been slow due to the rain and landslides. It was very sad to hear that many children and students were trap in the debris as the schools collapse.

Despite all the despair and confusion, there have been instances where rescue efforts prevail over the testing conditions. A group of tourists were saved from cable cars left hanging 50 meters above ground due to the brave efforts of rescuers.

It is during times like this that the best of humanity is on display. The story of a nurse helping expecting mothers recover from the trauma is especially touching as her own child is still missing. The scene where the chinese premier harshly instructed the army to step up rescue efforts after visiting quake victims was equally touching as well. A volunteer chose to put aside his grief of losing his wife and son in the earthquake to help others in need.

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