Devastating earthquake rocks Western China
POSTED: June 29, 2007
By Staci Dennis
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Biloinyu and her husband, Liziaxue stand in the midst of the home, which was reduced to rubble after a massive earthquake.
The CFPA supplied displaced families with tents. A make-shift camp is shown here in the main square of Ning'er City.
Children at a local school receive essential non-food items as well as vitamin-rich supplements.
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BAN HAI, China - For Biloinyu, 24 seconds lasted a lifetime.
On June 3, Biloinyu and her husband Liziaxue were getting ready to start the day, gathering what they needed to work the tea farms. Their 12-year-old daughter was still sleeping in her room.
That's when a violent earthquake - measuring 6.4 on the Richter scale - struck the Pu'er region of South Western China.
Biloinyu quickly gathered her family and fled the house to a courtyard. The family struggled to stand, clutching each other for safety.
"(It sounded like) many people shouting very loud," Biloinyu said about the quake. She added the violent shaking and loud noises made her feel like she was dying.
The quake destroyed about 90 percent of homes and buildings in the region including 109 schools. To date, 44,000 families have lost their homes and a further 58,000 will need to carry out major repairs before returning home.
"The streets are strewn with rubble like a scene form a war zone,” said David Darg, OBI's assistant director of international programs. "This is a place where insurance doesn't exist and many people are still coming to terms with the fact that years of hard work and investment were wiped out in a matter of seconds.”
The China Foundation for Poverty Alleviation has supplied displaced families with tents and proper sanitation measures. More than 190,000 people are currently sleeping in the tents.
OBI linked arms with the CFPA by supplying essential non-food items, clothing and high nutrition, vitamin-rich feeding supplements for children.
The local economy has been making slow but steady growth during the last few years and the CFPA are worried because the earthquake has effectively reset the counter, forcing one of China's poorest regions to start from scratch.
How You Can Help
You can take part in helping China's displaced families and other victims of disasters by making an online donation toward OBI's disaster relief programs. With your support, OBI can continue to provide food, medical care and more to thousands of hurting people.
Please make an on-line donation today. Your donation will help us continue to provide lifesaving care to those who need it most.
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