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World Vision aid worker Tamy Kwok tells what it was like to be caught in the May 12 Sichuan earthquake and what is really behind the smile of a grieving child… “Before I realized what was happening, I began to feel the earth shaking rigorously under my feet. After a while, signboards, bricks and pieces of glass started raining down from the buildings around.”
China Sichuan Earthquake Response
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By Tamy Kwok
May 12, 2008 – 8.0 magnitude earthquake
While I was on my way back to the office, I saw my colleagues rushing down the stairs. Before I realized what was happening, I began to feel the earth shaking rigorously under my feet. After a while, signboards, bricks and pieces of glass started raining down from the buildings around. We immediately rushed to the open area in Qingchuan High School. A lot of casualties were soon brought there, one by one.
We tried our best to help the injured, but there were too many of them. Some of them could only sit around covered in blood, waiting for assistance. My heart ached when I heard a man wailing when his wife passed away in front of him…
The marketplace where I used to walk past on a regular basis had collapsed. The housing quarters near Dongqiao also fell down and a lot of people were buried alive.
Most of the buildings were severely damaged, making it extremely dangerous to go back. The day after the earthquake, my colleagues and I risked our lives to return to the office to get the car keys and other necessities like quilts and food. We drove around to survey the damages around the county centre. Since roads to the external were blocked and communication cut off, we could only rely on information from the local government and contact the World Vision China Office in Hong Kong through satellite phone.
During these two days it was difficult to settle down. Water and food were no longer available for purchase. But still, five colleagues and I drove to villages nearby to conduct disaster assessments. Only after that did we go to Guangyuan City, the nearest city around, to purchase goods and try to make external contact.
Rumors were going around. Some said that there would be an aftershock measuring magnitude 6 today.
June 15, 2008 – Aftershocks
Today, the fourth day after the quake, we returned to Qingchuan County centre from Guangyuan City. A lot of goods have arrived since the earthquake. Basic food and medical needs in the city are met in general. Some shops have also re-opened to provide services like re-charging appliances, email-checking and telecommunication. Even the temporary restrooms are cleaner than before.
The aftershocks have reduced in magnitude and frequency, but once in a while a strong one hits and it is terrifying. It was said that some people who had gone home to spend the night were killed when the buildings collapsed during the aftershocks. Some six or seven others were reportedly killed when they went home to get their belongings.
The first batch of relief goods from World Vision has arrived, including 113 tents and 2,000 quilts. Because of the huge amount of aid coming in from outside, the local government officials were overwhelmed by the distribution workload. Today, tents that were arranged to be distributed to different areas arrived. As soon as World Vision staff unloaded them and were waiting for representatives from different areas, mobs of people tried to scramble for the tents. Our staff, many of whom were earthquake victims themselves, had a hard time facing the crowds’ demand.
June 21, 2008 – Life after the Quake
It is five o’clock in the morning. Rain has not stopped pattering on the roof of the tent since 8 o’clock last night. Facing potential disasters like floods caused by rising lake levels, severe aftershocks and the collapse of hills, has put the entire county on high alert for the past ten days.
My thoughts strayed to those living among the mountainous areas. Many of them have not yet received a tent or a piece of tarpaulin because of their remote location or the lack of aids reaching that area. How do they make it through rainy nights like tonight? Compared to them, I am lucky to be sleeping on a mattress, warmly tucked under quilts that I have risked my life taking out of my home. My tears couldn’t help falling every time I thought about them.
It is true that the attention span of the media interest is short-lived, but rehabilitation is a long-term effort. After the heat dies down, the villagers will still have to cope with the destruction and learn to restore their lives by themselves.
The rainy season starts in May. The weather forecast said that it is still going to rain for a few days. My only hope is there will be fewer heavy rainstorms, mudslides and landslides so that people will have less of a hard time in this already difficult environment.
I am thankful for being an earthquake survivor in Qingchuan. I am thankful because I could experience life and death with 250,000 other people. I am thankful because I had the opportunity to sympathize with these people.
July 11, 2008 – Behind the Smiles
We visited a Child Friendly Space in Lizhou Square today to prepare for the opening of similar centers in Qingchuan. The children in Guangyuan City seemed to have forgotten their horrid experience from the earthquake as they sang and played with other kids in the center.
Later my colleague told me that there were some survivors from Qingchuan seeking temporary refuge in the relief centre nearby. Being from Qingchuan myself, I certainly wanted to pay them a visit. Upon knowing that they were from one of our project villages before the quake happened, I felt strong conviction about going there. At the relief centre, I met Xiao Hong, a grade 7 student. We were quickly connected when she told me that she used to play table tennis with our staff in the Shiba Township.
She treated me like an old friend, showing me around in the centre introducing me to the library tent and the Children’s Kingdom. However, when she talked about her life now, the smile on her face disappeared. She told me, “I feel empty in my heart whenever I think about my younger sister. There is this huge burden in my heart…” her tears gushed out as she spoke. Her younger sister was killed when their home collapsed during the earthquake as she was taking her afternoon nap. Xiao Hong’s sister, whom she loved dearly, was only 14 months old. Later Xiao Hong’s mother told me that it was the first time Xiao Hong had cried like this since the quake. I pondered over how long she had been suppressing these emotions. At the same time, I am thankful that she has the opportunity to let it out today.
While Xiao Hong was playing beside us, I couldn’t help asking her mother how she had been feeling these days. She smiled, shook her head, and did not say anything. Somehow, this silent sadness moved me more than anything. My heart sank even more.
Lately, images of mudslides have been popping up in my head. I thought of those who were buried under debris of collapsed houses. Are they resting in peace? I thought of those who lost their family, friends, jobs and possessions, and those whose daily routines were interrupted because of this earthquake. How are they going to regain peace, passion and hope of their lives?
July 19, 2008 – Imagine…
Today, I played a game called “Imagine” with my colleagues.
Imagine there was no earthquake: summer holiday would not have started on May 12.
Imagine there was no earthquake: little kids would not have been left idle at home during the summer.
Imagine there was no earthquake: Ms Tang said that 7-year-old Yiding would not have suddenly screamed at home in terror, recollecting the horrible things she saw that day.
Imagine there was no earthquake: we would not be seeing the many tents of different designs, from different countries, set up in Qingchuan, not to mention living in them.
Imagine there was no earthquake, we would not be playing this game called “Imagine” now.
July 22, 200 – Living an Abundant Life
Lately, a lot of young volunteers have been coming to help out in Malu and Qiaozhuang. Most of them are only students in their early teens. My colleagues told me that those in Malu came to help out as early as 6:00 am in the morning. Many of them skipped lunch in order to finish their assigned tasks. Their smiles, their laughter and their willing hearts brought me to reflection upon the gain and loss in life. The youth are truly the future of Qingchuan.
Rehabilitation is a long process. It might take 3 years, 8 years, or even 10 years to rebuild the whole county. Nonetheless, even in situation as such, life can be full of colors. If we hold on to faith, hope and charity, life can still be filled with joy and peace in all circumstances. |
