A Special Feature: Sichuan Earthquake

Baskaran sent me via e-mail a Power Point presentation entitled Heroes, dedicated to the brave people of Sichuan province of China. As the whole world knows, there was a terrible earthquake there which measured at 8.0 Ms and 8.3 Mw according to the China Seismological Bureau on 12 May 2008. The 2008 Sichuan earthquake (Chinese: 四川大地震) also known as the Wenchuan earthquake (Chinese: 汶川大地震), after the earthquake's epicenter in Wenchuan County in Sichuan province could be felt in several countries including Vietnam, Thailand, Russia, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Mongolia and Taiwan and left many dead and injured. I believe the materials there reveals the greatness of mankind and would strike a chord in many hearts and had therefore wish the author would not mind my posting the materials word for word and picture for picture here and in subsequent posts:


An earthquake, magnitude 8.0, struck Sichuan province of China at 2:28PM, May 12, 2008. The epicenter of the earthquake, Wenchuan, is about 90 miles from Chengdu. The earthquake released more energy than 500 atomic bombs, 30 times more than the Kobe earthquake in Japan, 1995. By May 19, there are more than 32,000 confirmed dead, more than 20,000 still missing, and more than 4.7 million houses collapsed or heavily damaged.

Comments

Liudmila said…
I think about those poor persons that remaind without their houses. We give our lifes to have a plce to live in today. And to lose it in one moment is more than terrible. It's finish...

There are persons in Salerno that wait an entire life living in the barracks after the earthquack of '80 to receive help from the state. And they say the next earthquack has to be in the next period...
footiam said…
That makes it all the more important to live a meaningful life! And of course, it is not waiting for handouts! But then of course, we do not know others enough to judge...
Liudmila said…
There is one who has money and work and maybe can pay 600-1000 euro a month for rental flat if he remains without his house -normal prices here (1500 euro in Swiss, for example), but there are many persons that have not so much money and have not work too.

I think, if happens to me today to remain without a house (for earthquacke or other), I would had to go under the bridge to live.
footiam said…
Living under the bridge is not a bad idea. At least, then we will have free water and a roof above our head. On the serious side, I have seen people living under the flyways in Philippines and then, I count my blessings. I feel blessed for what little extra things I have. It's a sad, sad beautiful world!