Posted on 05/12/2008 12:27:28 AM PDT by Lijahsbubbe
An earthquake measuring 7.8 on the Richter scale has hit China's Sichuan province. The tremor was felt across the entire region - shaking buildings in the capital, Beijing, as well as the Thai capital, Bangkok, and Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam. US Geological Survey said the quake struck 57 miles north-west of the city of Chengdu at 2.29pm local time (6.28am GMT).
Some 10 million people live in Chengdu.
Thanks, Stlnative.
Thank you for reporting from there. People are people — children are everyone’s children. How it breaks the heart to see such suffering.
Your English is better than most of our Chinese!!
It is hard to remember who is on the list.
I surely don’t want to cause you more work than what you already have been going through tonight.
BTW...
DishNetwork Channel 265 (CCTV9) - has China coverage on
Since the last few earthquakes happened I’ve been thinking, why can’t we use helium for these remote rescues? You can’t save anybody with heavy equipment as is.
If we could just have huge helium balloons attached to a clamp claw with chains, we could clamp onto each piece of slab, inflated enough to lift it off the other pieces of slab once released by the crain and then swing each piece up enough to slide it up off the pile.
With a crain and chains, you can move one piece of fallen concrete at a time, but if you had 50 guys setting up 50 helium clamps at the same time on the pile, and three cranes, you could dig out quicker.
Hot-air balloons use about a 15:1 lift/mass ratio; you could achieve more lift with helium?
CCTV9 reporting 1,500 confirmed dead in Mianzhu and another 10,000+ possibly buried under the rubble in Mianzhu.
Thanks for all your updates and comments on this thread, Stlnative.
Here's an easy way to remember: First, bookmark the link. Then when you're posting, keep the thread open and refer to it often while posting.
Updated FR Excerpt and Link Only or Deny Posting List due to Copyright Complaints
thank you
First,I will say a most popular sentence by chinese. My english is poor.
And I will thank all of you for your concern.
Here’s a small good news. Pandas in Sichuan Wolong Panda Nature Protection Center are all safe, but a little scared.
Thank You...
Translation:
It’s a ICQ message from a reporter to his/her friend.
Qimeng(the code name means Amazing Dreaming -— Hyyia) 10:07:29
The scene is too ghastly to look at
Qimeng 10:08:33
The 60 Old Premier (Chinese Premier = Secretary of the US) cries bitterly
Qimeng 10:10:16
The place dig out has to cave in again
Qimeng 10:11:24
Still rainning, the armies were got “death order”, they must deliver in the heavily rain
Qimeng 10:11:30
I am in scene
Qimeng 10:11:56
This is the city of Dujiangyan
Qimeng 10:13:24
Traffic downs, wrecker and materials are hard to deliver in
Qimeng 10:13:47
Wenchuan is unable to go into
Qimeng 10:15:21
Traffic to Wenchuan destroied completely, I don’t have any situation. Premier ordered in the morning, the army must enter the city no matter what price.
Qimeng 10:16:03
Rainning, aeroplane can’t landing, paratroopers ready to set out.
Qimeng 10:17:36
Meterials airdrops to Wenchuan
Qimeng 10:20:06
the 300 student under the ruins a in dangers, rescue mission failed, Premier is organizing a new rescue
Qimeng 10:20:47
Ah! Premier stumbles
Qimeng 10:21:35
I am sending photoes to Beijing, the photoes will be to release after examine
Qimeng 10:22:21
We reporters working on 9 computers, sending messages together
Qimeng 10:22:37
ICQ is so slowly in the important time
Qimeng 10:23:39
Commandos charge once again
Qimeng 10:25:04
If you look at the appearance of the old man (Premier), you will cry at once
Qimeng 10:26:40
The old man hurts his arm, blood runs, he push the medic away
Qimeng 10:27:09
Good news, we find a student
Qimeng 10:28:00
Premier runs to the ruins, helping the commandos
Qimeng 10:28:13
Xiang’e School
Qimeng 10:28:33
Carries out, now under emergency rescue
Qimeng 10:28:56
Not so much commandos
Qimeng 10:29:07
Hard traffics
Qimeng 10:29:42
Hard to decide weather he is alive, looks like alives, an oxygen cylinder on him. (I don’t know him or her -— hyyia)
Qimeng 10:29:42
Ah, cave in again!
Qimeng 10:31:28
One commando buried
Qimeng 10:31:40
Wait, I’ll go and have a look
Qimeng 10:36:24
I’m back, saved
Qimeng 10:37:16
News! 100,000 people in Pengzhou are in dangers!
Qimeng 10:38:49
Engineering soldiers can’t bridge in the heavily rain, mud - rock flow happenes. They call the Premier, very dangers!!!
Qimeng 10:39:19
The bridge broken down,100,000 people on Pengzhou had been to obstruct in the mountain, and mud-rock flows!
Qimeng 10:41:11
Premier roars to the phone, no matter with you, I say the 100,00 poeple must to escape, it’s order. He throes the phone down
Qimeng 10:41:33
I never see the old man angry like this before
Qimeng 10:41:54
No message from Wenchuan, I think that’s not good
Qimeng 10:42:16
I am in a camp to send messages
Qimeng 10:43:54
News from Wenchuan, rain goes thin, materials have been droped, paratroopers go into the plane now
Qimeng 10:45:19
The PLA Special Forces now appearance, they are the best soldiers in China
Qimeng 10:46:50
Premier talks with the leader
Qimeng 10:47:41
Premier says, I have only one sentence: You feeded by the poeple, you understand your responsibility.
Qimeng 11:11:00
Hello, I’m on the military airplane, this my first in this kind of plane, I am nervous
Qimeng 11:12:51
I am on the plane, and I’ll arrive Shifang after about 1 hour
Qimeng 11:34:40
Latest news, Yingxiu, Xuankou and Wolong in Wenchuan are hard to connect. Maybe more than 20,000 people are in distress. Aftershocks and rains badly, a stern condition, we can not determine any situation because of the low visibility. The Commander orders to bale out forcely if it still a bad weather.
Qiemng 11:36:38
Plane will fly into thunder clouds, I have to turn my computer off, see you later!
Please be aware that many of the posters on this site have strong political opinions and are not afraid to speak of them. One of the unique and special things about our country is our freedom of speech. That freedom can be disconcerting to people not used to it.
The big Alaska earthquake was one of the biggest influences on my life. I am now the Fire Chief in my town, when the next "big" one happens my firefighters and I will be the ones digging the survivors from the rubble. In a sense I have been preparing most of my life for that event because of my experience in 1964.
I was sorry to hear of the earthquake.
Please know that your people are in our prayers.
Our nation is willing to help out any way it can.
We care about the Chinese people.
Many here are not fond of your government but we do care for all mankind, and we wish the Chinese people well.
Thank you for posting on the forum here. Please let us know how you and your people are doing. We care.
D1
Wenchuan County,the earthquake core,is on a mountainous plateau, in the Minjiang River Canyon area. basically no plains. The County town is located between mountains and a river flows through the town. The only way to reach the town is dangerous highway on mountainside. Under the highway is the surging river. once the mountain collapsed in such stormy weather, its unable to get through. only clearing and repairing roads can the rescuers get through, or the rescuing soldiers can only walk through. Actually they walked 100KM last night. Scores of road-repairing workers devoted their lives due to the constant rolling down rocks as a result of hundreds of aftershocks. It is impossible for helicopters to land near the town let alone large aircraft. After all, the earthquake left the town ruins.
Wenchuan County has a population of 100,000 people and the administrative centretown has 30 thousands people with a Teachers college there.
Now Premier are ordering airborne paratroopers to reach the town because of the dangerous terrain and poor visibility caused by the bad weather.
Poor English,just for rough communication
Thank you for your report. You take care of yourself.
If we could just have huge helium balloons
can’t now,cause it’s raining
not flurry but rainstorm
I think , helium balloons is same dangerous in rainstorm
now,whirlybird can’t go there ,PLA parachutist gonna airborne done (so dangerous)
now,news say, there are 100 mans avant-courier of PLA arrived WenChuang, but lot’s of material can’t transit,cause roads all be destroyed,all camion is baffled
a nice new is , WenChang death toll maybe not too more
Thank you! I am in Beijing, just the same position like Washington DC. The position of Chengdu is just like Las Vegas, very far from my city.
Beijing felt the quake yesterday, Jesus...
I have been through two large quakes in LA California 6.6 and 6.8 both I thought the house was going to come down. Very scary.
Married to a lady that was born and grew up in Taiwan, she has been through a sizable quake as well.
This is not the time for people on this site to talk politics. I feel bad that you had to read those hurtful statements.
Prayers for all those affected by this earthquake. God Bless you.
Thank you Hyyia. Glad you are safe. Sorry about your countrymen (women and women included). Our prayers go out to them.
I saw a map about a half hour ago, so I know where the earthquake region is.
It was surprising to me that you could feel it in Beijing. Out here, if we have earthquakes in California, they don’t feel them in Washington, D.C.
I appreciate the response.
Aw, man...I’m crying.
What is the solution?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.