China Hit By Earthquake

Drudge Report ^ | Updated:08:00, Monday May 12, 2008 | Sky News

[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.

[preman]

God bless you,chinese.

[RightWhale]

6.0 just now

[DavFeng]

Just felt an other wave of shaking.
Magnitude 6.0
Date-Time Saturday, May 17, 2008 at 17:08:25 UTC
Sunday, May 18, 2008 at 01:08:25 AM at epicenter
Region SICHUAN-GANSU BORDER REGION, CHINA

[Lijahsbubbe]

6.0? That’s awful. They had 4.7 and 4.9 earlier, so they’ve actually gotten stronger.

[Hyyia]

You are right. But China is not a tyranny country.

[tjt322]

To Joya and All
thanks for your understanding.
I had been to US in 06 Apr, nice people ,nice coountry.
thanks for you and all US people kindness.
I think it is our human nature tragedy.
The disaster area includ 100 000 squre kilometer.
We all know that final death people will reach 50 000.It really is a stupendous number. But compared with the whole area population 11 000 000.
I think we all already tried the best to mimized the death rate.Since it really is SUPER Super Disaster that people Really can not imagine. And most important is that these disaster area was not well developed area but people concentrated there,also it is huge/hige moutain/river mix area, very Few plain area. With moutain and river displaced a lot (you can’t imagine) the Huge earthquake effected.
So caused so many buildings collapsed and over the accident people.
Compare with last time 1976 happened in Tangsan of China,This time ,the destroy Power of earthquake is 3 times than 1976’s. Even the degree is the same 7.8 against 7.8. but this time,it happens more shallower earth surface than last time.And last longer than 1976’s, two times earthquake shaking time against the 1976’s.
At 1976’s earthquake, it happens in the after mid-night, so it caused the 240 000 people death.Many people still in very deep sleeping, that make it really more serious and much higher death rate than this time earthquake. Also because it happened in Tangsan which is a middle city center area.Many of them died in bed.
But last times 1976’s, the location is close to Peking/Beijing ,about 400 kilometer near around, and most important it is a Plain area ,Even No small moutain and only small river acrossed.Army get there very easily.It is Much Much easier to rescue people than this time.And last time the earthquke area is only much more small area than this happens.
my english was not well to express all I know.Sorry for that.
Thanks again for all that help for us.
We all live in one earth.

[tjt322]

sorry that my mistake in typing
The huge earthquake is
Human world tragedy. Not human nature.

[tjt322]

Definitly Yes, Most Chinese always nice and mild.Never be agrresive for 5000 yrs history. If you have sometime to research the history of china(not the second hand information),if you have intersting.
Especially the earthquake area Sichuan may have the kindest people in the world and most delicous food in China.

[Lijahsbubbe]

I think we all already tried the best to mimized the death rate.Since it really is SUPER Super Disaster that people Really can not imagine.

Yes, it is impossible to imagine this many deaths and destruction. And it looks like there are other things to deal with such as food and water. So sad.

Thank you for your kind post.

[hyxing]

I am from China.Thank you all for your wishes and prays.the children thank you too

Children in quake-hit Qingchuan County hold banners reading “True hero”, “Thank you for your efforts” and “I love you” to welcome rescue personnel on the way leading to the county in Sichuan May 16, 2008. China has mobilized 130,000 troops by Thursday to the disaster area and the first foreign rescue teams, from Japan, Russia, South Korea and Singapore and China’s Taiwan have arrived. [Xinhua]

An 80-year-old survivor who has lost all her family members holds a banner reading “Thank you” in Mianzhu city of Sichuan May 16. 2008. China has mobilized 130,000 troops by Thursday to the disaster area and the first foreign rescue teams, from Japan, Russia, South Korea and Singapore and China’s Taiwan have arrived. [Xinhua]

Children in quake-hit Qingchuan County hold banners reading “True hero”, “Thank you for your efforts” and “I love you” to welcome rescue personnel on the way leading to the county in Sichuan May 16, 2008. China has mobilized 130,000 troops by Thursday to the disaster area and the first foreign rescue teams, from Japan, Russia, South Korea and Singapore and China’s Taiwan have arrived. [Xinhua]

Two boys adjust a wooden pole with banners reading “Thanking you for saving me” outside their shelter in Mianzhu city of Sichuan May 16, 2008. China has mobilized 130,000 troops by Thursday to the disaster area and the first foreign rescue teams, from Japan, Russia, South Korea and Singapore and China’s Taiwan have arrived.

[SE Mom]

Oh no...

prayers continuing for the people of China..

[patriciaruth]

Helicopters can help get supplies and rescue workers closer to the areas of devastation.

Our armed forces have flown helicopters in many missions of mercy in other countries bringing help and aid to people in disasters.

During our worst disaster, the hurricane Katrina (which devastated an area the size of England on our Gulf coast and flooded our city of New Orleans), our Coast Guard helicopters rescued over 37,000 people from rooftops and other areas.

I understand the traditional fears of letting in foreign governments and armed forces helicopters into your country to help out, but it is a shame that there is such fears between peoples when they need help.

I know well about what we call “The Rape of Nanking” in the 1930’s by the Japanese, and the hundreds of thousands of deaths they caused. The Japanese visited atrocities on many countries and peoples in those decades of war, including ours. We lost many tens of thousands of soldiers fighting the Japanese in the Pacific, and they treated our prisioners of war and British prisoners very badly, marching them to their death, including women and children. We were China’s ally then and we could be friends again, I hope.

Time passes; governments change; people change their thinking; and we now have few left in our country who understand and remember those terrible things, because Japan has changed its form of government and its people have more say in the decisions that are made.

My great hope is that the internet will help this improvement in relations between the peoples of the world.

[Lijahsbubbe]

I am from China.Thank you all for your wishes and prays.the children thank you too

You are very welcome. We are very sad for all of the lives lost and the pain that you are going thru.

[gleeaikin]

Regarding feasibility of straw bale home construction in China.

Comment #1428 is a perfect example of the kind of village construction where straw bale construction would be a good solution. Easy to do and not resulting in the kind of collapse of homes shown there.

[CHINA GO]

I come from China.
thank you for all your wish.

more imformation for the earthquake:
http://www.china.org.cn/(english)

[tjt322]

Thanks for your kind help. At first I had thought the same things as you that our country can tried them the best to use the helicopter. But things that you just can not imagine how steepness area of that place and with the strong rainy days at first two days which is goldend times for rescue. The earthquke disaster was not like hurricane, many disaster people are in the deep under the collapsed buildings. lots of them need resuce team to dig to pull from it.And one of important , because of hard weather and steepness area, at first 30-40 hours ,helicopters even have no place to landing, because of the Mountain Area. See that huge helicopter used this time.Total 120 helicopter used and 9000 air forces arrived at May 13.All kinds of military helicopter.but compared with 11 000 000 people and 100 000 squre kilometer.If it is plain area like New orlean, it will be 1000 times easier to rescue, but these people in that dammed moutain area.　See that bad weather with cloudy, the air forces jumped with 80% percent death rate from 5000 meters high and strong wind and cloudy , with the unforseeable ground situation and moutain area /steep cliffs very few places for landing. http://www.wst.cn/UploadFile/2008-5/169875_20085151123986516.jpg">

[tjt322]

Thanks for your great help.
I Will tried to transfer this message as I can.

[tjt322]

You are very few guys who know the true history of Japanese doing for China.
Actually the killed person by Japan in the rape of Nanking
is 3 to 4hundreds of thousands of deaths.
You just can not imagine there is tragedy like this.
I have seen all these photo and relevant things in Nanking.
It is terrible and misable far beyond the words.

Thanks again for your understandings and all other kind US people.
One peaceful world and One dream.

[tjt322]

Pls check the geographic map. All the steep moutains few place for landing, air army have to jump from 5000 meters high, otherwise plane will hit the moutain.

[adcycn]

China has every necessary equipments to do rescue work,of course including Helicopters.
The worst situation is transportation.With all the roads destroyed,in a high mountain area with valley and river,it's a death mission for helicopter to arrive in most regions of there.Even so,with the rain and shear wind in canyon,China has used many helicopters to rescue.But when the situstion is impossible,we should step back,or more lives would lose.And we don't want foreign friends risk their life in a unfamiliar area,it's better to use the local team.
Why the rescuer use their feet to the zone and use their hands to dig?Not because they don't have modern equipments,just because the circumstance won't allow it,unless we wanna lose more lives.

Look at those satellite pics and real photoes,you could be more calm and realize the situation.

After all ,many foreigh teams have arrived and are welcomed,they may be helpful.I think the gov. allowed them in is not because we are lack of such help but wanna show that China has a open door and wanna be an amicable part of the world.