Tue, 10 Jun 2008

China: coping with the earthquake

By NNA Correspondent Jakob Steigerwald

BEIJING (NNA) - On 12 May at 14.28 (local time) China experienced its strongest earthquake for 30 years. The epicentre was in the Province of Sichuan about 1500 kilometres from Beijing.

As it was happening, I was sitting in Beijing University canteen – about five minutes later I received a text message: “Serious earthquake in Sichuan“. As I looked up I noticed how the screens hanging from the ceiling were shaking.

The latest reports suggest that the earthquake cost the lives of more than 67,000 people, with 20,000 still missing. In the closely settled province of Sichuan about five million people lost their homes.

One week after the earthquake, at the exact minute, sirens sounded out all over Beijing. I was in the reading room of the university. Suddenly the whispering and rustling of those present ceased. The huge number of students stood up and with lowered heads they listened to the noise of the sirens for three minutes.

From where I was, I could see the twelve lane motorway through the dusty Beijing air: even the cars had stopped, the drivers stood with lowered heads by their cars. An international metropolis stood still for three minutes – in memory of those who had died.

The disaster has united the country. Cars with loudspeakers drive through the streets asking for donations. Schools, companies and universities are organising aid for the victims of the earthquake. Whilst until now the Olympic Flame dominated the media, now there are daily reports on the areas affected by the disaster.

The countless helpers are being celebrated as heroes. Television documentaries show the dramatic actions of the army and the local forces. Indeed, the region needs urgent help and China wants to show that it is doing everything possible to help the victims.

Aid is also needed for the Waldorf school in Chengdu. The first and only Waldorf school in China is only 90 km from the epicentre, in the south-east of the metropolis Chengdu. “Luckily nobody was hurt, but half of the buildings are so badly damaged that we are likely to have to pull them down,” says sinologist Astrid Schroeter from Germany, who has been teaching in the school for just a year and whom I was able to reach on the phone. (For a report from the school see NNA report “The teacher’s tale: helping in the aftermath of the Chinese earthquake” of 10 June 2008)

Until this happens a few rooms can be rented in a neighbouring building, which belongs to the town. The school, which has been in existence since 2004, now has five classes with around 50 pupils, as well as a kindergarten with roughly the same number of children. Next Monday school is to re-start. However, first a number of questions have to be answered. The authorities have to inspect the state of the buildings and it is not yet clear what the quality of the drinking water is at the moment.

Greenpeace China reports that it has sent a research team into the area. This will investigate whether damaged chemical factories may cause a hazard for the people and the environment.

Immediately following the earthquake, the state health and safety authority ordered a production stop in all chemical factories within the area of the disaster. Greenpeace, however, found at least one company that had continued with their production. It is also a problem that many victims in the area surrounding chemical factories look for shelter there and sometimes drink the unfiltered water.

End/nna/jas/pe

Donations for the Waldorfschool Chengdu: Recipient: Freunde der Erziehungskunst Rudolf Steiners e. V., account no.: 39800704, sort code: 600 100 70, bank: Deutsche Postbank AG

Item: 080610-01EN Date: 10 June 2008

Copyright 2008 News Network Anthroposophy Limited. All rights reserved. See: www.nna-news.org/copyright/

More NNA reports at: www.nna-news.org/en/