Earthquake in China

As we all know, a massive earthquake (7.9) struck Sichuan province in China on Monday, May 12, 2008. Even though I am six hours away from this area in Fuling, I still felt the shock. I was cleaning my kitchen floor and realized the ground was moving. However, I thought it was from the construction work taking place in the apartment below. After hearing and seeing students run from the campus library, I quickly realized it was an earthquake. Throwing on some shoes, I walked outside (the last to leave the apartment building) and found one of my teacher friends. Nadia (her English name) told me this was the first real earthquake in Fuling she could remember. After watching students and staff panic for about twenty minutes, I was the first to return to my apartment and continued cleaning my kitchen floor.

The residents of Fuling are safe and sound, however, I feel a great deal of sadness for those harmed by the quake. The expected loss of life is to reach over 42,000; with millions of people homeless and out of work. The Peace Corps has warned us of many possible aftershocks and has been good at keeping us updated on the situation via email and phone.

Since last Monday's quake, Fuling has felt three aftershocks. Being a California boy, I am quite familiar with a little movement from the ground. For the residents of China , it is quite a different story. The quake has spawned an aftermath of panic and paranoia spreading through local communities and college universities like wildfire. Chinese government officials have warned people of severe 6-7.0 aftershocks and to take the necessary precautions to stay safe and protected. In turn, students attending my university have spent several sleepless nights outside on the campus track and basketball courts. After hearing a report on television from local officials that a rather large aftershock would take place late Monday night, students and teachers fled to open areas of my campus seeking refuge from the "quake." After receiving several telephone calls between the hours of 10 pm to 2 am from concerned friends, students, and colleagues, I decided to unplug my phone. I wanted to salvage as much sleep as possible for my 8:30 am class the following morning.

After taking the morning bus from my apartment (on the old campus) to my office (on the new campus), I found that all morning classes on Tuesday had been canceled. After expressing my frustration to the dean of our department, I realized that the newness of this entire experience has caused a great sense of insecurity for a country that has tremendous amounts of pride for their citizens safety and well-being. After having this thought, I found myself to be a little more patient and understanding of Monday night's situation.

My hope is that the minds of those suffering from fear of other earthquakes and aftershocks will be put at rest.