news article: Rescuers reach China quake epicenter

[koalathebear]

So heart-breaking. The article Rescuers reach China quake epicenter says:

The first of 1,300 medical and rescue workers have reached the remote epicenter of Monday's strong earthquake, China's state media said. Roads blocked by rocks and mudslides had hampered the effort to reach the epicenter in Wenchuan County, forcing military doctors and

Comments

[miss_dian]

I got goosebumps reading this and also looking at the pics. I live in Indonesia and remember the HUGE devastation after the 2004 tsunami and also more recent (2006) earthquakes in Java. My family also personally experienced the Java (Yogyakarta) earthquake. My thoughts and prayers go for the people in Sichuan and their families. Immediate and emergency aid is so important. Donating money is important but food, clothing, and shelter is just as important during the aftermath period. Only after the basics are provisioned and provided for, sustainability issues become the next focus. Trauma and livelihoods among them, of course. I remember in Yogyakarta and Aceh a lot of post-trauma counselling was given to children and people who lost their family/friends.

I wonder how this is being responded to, internationally..

[koalathebear]

I've been very moved and grateful that international press has been sympathetic towards China. I think I would have found the situation even more upsetting if I'd been forced to endure racist/angry/hurtful attacks that kicked China when it was down. Despite all its faults and shortcomings, China has really tried to do what's right during this diaster and the whole country is in intense pain. China has suffered this sort of disaster before and it always gets through it and it always endures - but I don't think that it's ever easy.

[msgenevieve]

God. The sheer numbers involved are almost incomprehensible to me. And I feel incredibly bad that the thought of the pandas affected me the same way as the human cost, but I'm not very sensible when it comes to animals.

Hang in there, and thank you for sharing your thoughts with us. I'd rather read your posts than try to make sense of the bombardment of media that's happening.

[koalathebear]

I think it's natural to be affected by the pandas. For one thing, they're endangered, they're cute and if anything happened to the pandas at Wolong, it would have been a severe blow because ...

Thanks for your well-wishes. I have been glued to the news here but many of us are. It's just something that affects so many people that it's hard NOT to be drawn in and affected.