Sichuan Earthquake Relief

Upcoming Donation Page

2010red — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 03:31:56 +0000

We have decided to switch funds and donate the Mercy Corps and the Tsinghua Foundation instead of the Red Cross, as they are working more actively on site in Sichuan. Also, I am working on a form to directly collect donations to send to the funds. I need to work out the kinks in the SSH encryption but it will be up soon. Look forward too it. Additional organizations accepting donations can be found here: http://www.google.com/chinaearthquake/

Adopting Sichuan Orphans

krosis — Sun, 01 Jun 2008 05:49:00 +0000

After the brutal earthquake struck the Sichuan region, about 5,500 children had been deprived of their parents. As they huddle in the refugee camps, many couples around the nation are seeking to adopt the orphans for proper care and love. In addition to the welcoming attitudes of the couples, the Chinese government will be suspending its strict enforcement of one child per family law. Furthermore, it is reported that families whose only child had been severely injured by the earthquake shall be permitted to give birth to another child.
Although numerous couples are benevolently seeking to adopt the orphans, some scholars are raising concerns about the sudden change in the children’s lives. It is the psychologists’ opinions that the children should be kept with family members such as grandparents for the best of the children’s mental health.
Nonetheless, the efforts of Chinese to recover from the crisis is eminent; a welcoming news.

-Han Kim

Source: http://tinyurl.com/6puhbb

Chinese officials ignored quake warnings

2010red — Sun, 01 Jun 2008 05:33:13 +0000

This is surprising news released just 8 hours ago. Apparently, the Chinese government had received warning of the a possible massive earthquake in Sichuan as early as 2006! As revealed by Li Shihui of the Chinese Academy of Sciences after the earthquake, the Chinese government has been actively trying to cover this fact! The people of the Sichuan province did not take this lightly, forcing the party secretary to bar them from traveling on the bus to Chengdu, the province capital, to protest. I would most certainly be furious, having lost my home, my family, and all of my worldy belongings to be told that it could have been prevented, at least the damage could have been lessened? Just when I thought the Chinese government had turned a new leaf, they go right back to their old ways. This shows the incompetence of the Chinese government and gives more reason for us to help the relief efforts, to give back what little the survivors have left. Please help the Chinese people and donate to the Sichuan Earthquake Relief Fund.

-Brian Yu

Source:

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/china/article4039973.ece

China earthquake: Man survives after eight days as death toll tops 40,000

2010red — Sun, 01 Jun 2008 03:58:06 +0000

179 hours, that is over 7 days, can you just imagine? With thousands missing, the faster we act, the better chance there is to save those lives!

-Vish Sridharan

Death Toll Continues to Rise, Dangers Not Over

2010red — Sun, 01 Jun 2008 01:22:04 +0000

As rescue workers work to clear the rubble, the extent of the destruction is further revealed, showing us that this is just the tip of the iceberg. Also, survivors of the initial shake are not out of the fire yet, aftershocks still shake the area, some measuring up to 6.0 on the Richter scale. An even greater danger looming over the Chinese people is the danger of “quake lakes”, massive lakes formed by water building up behind rubble displaced by the initial quake. Millions of gallons of water are barely held back, threatening to crash down upon the survivors any second. In the midst of all the chaos, survivors still manage to persevere. Our hearts go out to them as they struggle to recover from such devastating losses.

-Brian Yu

International Response and What You Can Do to Help

2010red — Sun, 01 Jun 2008 00:56:49 +0000

On May 12^th, 2008, China’s Sichuan Province was forced to experience the devastating effects of worst quake the country has witnessed in over thirty years, one that ranked a stunning 7.9 on the Richter scale. Leaving thousands homeless, injured, killed, or confined beneath tons of wreckage, the natural disaster effortlessly overwhelmed local response, heralding the need for national and international support to ameliorate the current conditions. Fortunately, this calamity made headlines with remarkable celerity, enabling it to swiftly become the focus of sympathetic attention around the globe. As with any disaster situation, the need for humanitarian aid is of cardinal importance, and numerous non-governmental organizations have responded to this end following China’s request for international assistance. The Government of China has spearheaded the relief effort, providing its displaced people with thousands of tents, articles of clothing, blankets, and over 300,000 tons of food. USAID/OFDA (U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance) has donated specialized equipment useful for search, rescue, and recovery of missing persons and has also deployed trained personnel to guide local officials on proper equipment use. In addition, contributions from other nations and the private sector are estimated to total two billions dollars.

One has to remember that a catastrophe of such magnitude brings along a myriad of primary objectives to fulfill, including the provision of adequate food, clean drinking water, clothing, shelter, as well as medical and physiological assistance, and protection of civilians from hazards. With such a laundry list of commitments, the contributions thus far hardly seem adequate to meet all the stated demands. For example, the Chinese government had requested 3.3 million tents to accommodate all those adversely affected, but has only received approximately 400,000 to date.

As responsible and caring citizens of this country, it is our duty to help those in need. You can help the victims of the China Earthquake via monetary donations, and all proceedings go directly to the American Red Cross to fund their ongoing efforts. Use the interactive “Donate” button to make a fast and easy donation to our cause. Although the road to recovery may be long for China, your help can make this journey one step shorter.

-Vish Sridharan

Sources:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24573168/

http://tinyurl.com/6ad3eq

http://www.usaid.gov/locations/asia/countries/china/earthquake/

Why We All Must Care

krosis — Sat, 31 May 2008 23:19:00 +0000

Some people call it “God’s anger of Chinese-Tibetan conflict.” Some people call it “the Mandate of Heaven.” No matter how we conceive it, however, we, as a part of this world, realize that this is one significant earthquake which cracked up a fissure that will shake the fundamental base of one of the largest economic nations in the world.
According to Time magazine, over 50,000 people have died and more than 5 million houses have been destroyed. Although Chinese people have been bombarded recently with the news of slave labor, government corruption, lead-poisoned toys, the eruption of violence concerning the neighboring nation Tibet, and many other malignant stories, they could observe as the government initiated full-scale relief operation with celerity. In fact, China’s Premier, Wen Jiabao, himself left for Sichuan in less than two hours to personally aid in the response to this crisis. In addition to the 120,000 government volunteers including People’s Liberation Army troops, over 200,000 citizens have and are descending on Sichuan Province. According to the China Youth Daily, police had to close certain highways and return the volunteers because the traffic was so overwhelming.
Although China is taking ardent actions to ameliorate the current situation, further, international aid is necessary to meet the needs of over 5 million homeless Chinese in grief and suffering. As a part of this world, we all share a common responsibility to aid those who are in need. Perhaps the banners which are being carried around by numerous cars in China is the ultimate wisdom in forming a better world: Resist the Quake: Provide Relief and When One has Difficulty, Eight Assist. It is now each one of our turns to respond. The situation calls for action, and action now.

-Han Kim

My Take: Why I Care

2010red — Sat, 31 May 2008 22:15:46 +0000

I cannot deny the fact that one of the reasons that the Sichuan Earthquake caught my attention was because I am ethnically Chinese. I also have relatives in the area, and of course I was concerned for their safety. However, this also puzzles me; why do I, a person who has always considered himself American, feel so urged to help in the relief efforts? Perhaps it is the same driving Chinese people are feeling around the globe. Although many countries have contributed millions to the relief aid, it has been the people themselves who have contributed the most, with over 128 million dollars given by residents in Hong Kong alone. People in China also have devoted much of their salary to the relief efforts as well. From the lowest paid migrant worker, donating his entire monthly salary, to the widow of Deng XiaoPing, donating her entire life savings, the entire nation is astir.

This feeling of nationalism has never been shown by the Chinese people before. It has completely changed the views of many people, who have previously viewed China as a oppressive Communist state, full of sweat shops and government corruption. However, it seems that it is the oppressive governments that gain the most attention; Myanmar was extremely reluctant to accept aid for the hurricane victims, same with the Sudanese government, concerning Darfur. Entire groups have been dedicated to these problems, sponsored the rich and elite, such as Not on Our Watch, sponsored by actors like George Clooney. I don’t think China recieves quite as much attention, nor is there as much awareness of the incident, which has driven me to form this effort, because I think the Chinese people deserve better. Please join me and my friends in supporting the Chinese people by donating to the Sichuan Earthquake Relief Fund. Because people doing good jobs should get some attention too.

-Brian Yu

Mission Statement

2010red — Sat, 31 May 2008 20:59:08 +0000

On May 12, at 2:28 CST, a 7.9 magnitude earthquake hit the province of Sichuan in China. The tremor was felt as far as Shanghai, nearly 1700 kilometers away. Over 65,000 people have been reported dead, over 350,000 thousand injured, and many others missing. Thousands of buildings were destroyed, leaving millions of people homeless.

The purpose of this blog is to raise awareness and money to aid the relief effort. Due to the extent of the damage, the province remains in ruins, the people displaced. Thousands of children have become orphans lacking homes and parents. Please show your support by donating to organizations like the Red Cross who is currently helping in the relief efforts.

-Sichuan Earthquake Awareness Group

Hello world!

2010red — Sat, 31 May 2008 20:24:42 +0000

Welcome to savinglives.Mylocalcause.com.
This blog was formed by the Sichuan Earthquake Awareness Group, a group of socially-aware budding philanthropists, in an effort to raise awareness about the destruction in the Sichuan province due to the May 12 earthquake. Unable to just sit and watch the ensuing chaos, the group took action and decided to start a relief fund to help contribute to the relief effort. We hope by visiting this blog and reading about all the devastation, you too will spread awareness and contribute to the relief fund and other non profit organizations helping the relief effort.

Because we care,

Sichuan Earthquake Awareness Group