Archive for the ‘Relief’ Category
Thursday, August 19th, 2010
Following recent flooding and landslides in and around Yingxiu — the epicentre of the 12 May 2008 Sichuan earthquake — there is once again a need for blankets, towels and sheets to provide relief for victims of this latest disaster to hit the region, SQR found today following a needs assessment.
Rebuilt homes, almost complete following the 2008 earthquake, hit by floodwater in Yingxiu Town this week. Image (c) www.news.cn
The three most seriously-affected towns in this region are Yingxiu Town, Longchi Town and Hongkou Township. Many of the combined population of around 23,000 people have spent the last two years reeling from the repercussions of the 2008 earthquake. Some had recently moved back into permanent housing from temporary shelters, while others were in the process of moving back into rebuilt homes when the floodwaters swept through their towns.
Access to these towns is currently restricted to official relief vehicles and local residents. SQR travelled to Juyuan Town, just outside Dujiangyan City, to speak with evacuees and other organisations dealing with the situation. Over 1000 people of all ages are currently sheltering in the dormitories of Juyuan Vocational Middle School, with 100 more due to arrive this afternoon. Around 5000 people have been evacuated from the region so far, according to the volunteers coordinating the dorms. Many evacuees we spoke to had come from Longchi; they described having lost everything except the clothes they were wearing, their new homes and possessions destroyed.
Volunteers said the rescue and evacuation operation had been carried out with speed and efficiency, food was currently being provided by the school catering service, but there was a pressing need for new or good condition, freshly-laundered blankets, towels and bedsheets. SQR will channel any donations to the evacuees through local volunteer groups.
Please contact SQR if you are able to help.
Posted in Fundraising, Relief, SQR Donation Request | No Comments »
Monday, May 17th, 2010
SQR is working with a local grassroots NGO in Yushu to provide all-weather tents to 300 families that have little hope of being back in permanent homes before next year.
It is becoming increasingly clear that there is an underlying need for investment in warmer, more durable tents to be donated to the earthquake-affected in Yushu. At present, most families that have the required local residency (hukou) have been provided with one 12-by-12 foot (13 sq metres) summer tent, regardless of the number of people in the family that must share it. Even in the summer, these tents will be battered by strong winds and heavy downpours. When winter sets in they will provide poor shelter from the bitter cold.
With rebuilding officially scheduled to take at least three years, in the harsh climate of Yushu there is a need to provide larger, tougher, all-weather tents, the sooner the better. SQR is partnering with locally-founded and -staffed NGO Tibetan Village Project (TVP) to provide at least 300 needy families with all-weather tents that will last the next two to three years while they slowly rebuild their homes and lives. TVP has been working in Yushu for the last ten years promoting sustainable development of the area, and has been directly involved in the earthquake relief process.
All-weather tent suitable for the harsh climate of Yushu
Each good quality tent costs 2,300 RMB (US$345), so we are aiming at raising almost 700,000 RMB (just over US$100,000) to reach 300 families. With its local expertise, Tibetan Village Project will handle local sourcing and distribution to ensure those families who are most in need will be reached. SQR will guarantee funding we receive is channelled directly into the purchase and distribution of quality tents.
Please donate today to ensure these families are helped before their situation becomes even more dire.
If you can help us source good quality, large, all-weather tents, please contact us at info@sichuan-quake-relief.org.
Posted in Relief, SQR Donation Request, Winter, Yushu Earthquake | No Comments »
Thursday, April 22nd, 2010
- The round-trip from Xining to Longbao took 52 hours along some very dangerously icy roads; we saw more than 10 relief vehicles that had come off the road, left to be recovered at a later date. At points we were forced off-road by the earthquake damage, which made the journey even tougher on the vehicle.
- We eventually arrived in Longbao town at 11pm, met with officials and donated the goods we had brought. The most pressing needs in the area are tents and and medicines. (The 8,000 residents of Longbao had already used up 50,000 assorted tablets in the first 2-3 days.) We were also made aware of two other, more remote villages that are still in need of relief: Ha Xiu Village (哈秀乡), population 3,000, and Li Xin Village (立新乡), population 2,000.
Posted in Relief, SQR Activities, Transport, Yushu Earthquake | No Comments »
Monday, April 19th, 2010
UPDATE at 3:10pm local time, Tues 20th April:
SQR team should be back in Chengdu by Wednesday lunchtime.
UPDATE at 9am local time, Tues 20th April:
Aid delivered, SQR truck and team now heading back to Xining. They hope to be there by tonight.
UPDATE at 11pm local time, Mon 19th April:
The truck loaded with supplies arrived in Jiegu town about 6pm on Monday April 19th, and is now moving on to Longbao.
The SQR team described the Jiegu town as ‘eerily calm’ and saw the huge amount of destruction caused by the earthquake.
Longbao has suffered terribly; one sign of this is that SQR received verbal permisson from the Longbao authorities to visit, deliver aid and conduct further needs assessments. Written permission was not possible, as all chops/stamps, fax machines etc. were (and possibly still are) buried under rubble. Note that SQR has been given official permission from the Provincial Civil Affairs Bureau to deliver this aid.
As with its post-quake efforts in Sichuan, SQR will focus on more remote areas that may not have received the attention they need, such is the scale of the disaster. There are several villages on the mountain road to Longbao; SQR hopes to be able to survey the situations there on this trip.
Donations can be made via our donations page marked “Yushu”.
Tags:Jiegu, Longbao, supplies, Yushu
Posted in Relief, SQR Activities, SQR Donation Request, Yushu Earthquake | No Comments »
Sunday, April 18th, 2010
Following our recent post drawing attention to the plight of those awaiting aid in Longbao town, 75 kms from Jiegu, SQR will be delivering much-needed aid directly to the afflicted early on Monday morning (we are leaving this evening and arrive Monday morning).
A 1.7 tonne truck has been loaded with the following supplies:
- 2 petrol-driven generators
- 100 dynamo torches
- 50 dung-burning stoves
- 1 tonne flour (1/2 tonne wheat, 1/2 tonne barley)
- 1200 pots of instant noodles
- 50 bottles of disinfectant
SQR has been given official permission from the Provincial Civil Affairs Bureau to deliver this aid. We will be liasing with town officials to ensure that the aid gets distributed evenly and to those most in need.
UPDATE: SQR truck left at around 830pm on Sunday 18th April.
Posted in Relief, SQR Activities, Yushu Earthquake | 1 Comment »
Sunday, April 18th, 2010
A fresh team of Global Doctor medical experts arrived yesterday morning in Jiegu Town, the hub of rescue and recovery efforts so far, and immediately set to work assessing and treating the injured, as well as sending back a brief update on the situation there.
- No electricity that isn’t generator driven
- Serious need for water and food.
- Front-end loaders are still clearing the streets.
- Survivors are still being rescued from the rubble.
As of late Saturday, the death toll had risen sharply to 1,484 — double that of 48 hours earlier — indicating that the main rescue effort had just begun to reach the outer-lying townships and villages. 312 people are still missing and 12,088 are reported injured, 1,394 (over 11%) severely.
Posted in Relief, Yushu Earthquake | No Comments »
Friday, April 16th, 2010
It was a busy first day for SQR in Qinghai capital Xining, arriving just 48 hours after the earthquake struck Yushu County. We immediately met with a contact originally from striken Longbao town, who filled us in on the situation there. Recovery efforts have so far concentrated on the more populous Jiegu town, and Longbao has yet to receive any aid. Please see our funding request for more information.
We also spent part of the day getting up to speed with the local NGOs that have been coordinating the relief effort so far — Plateau Perspectives has been based in the county for over 10 years, and its staff, volunteers and friends have all done a tremendous job in these first crucial days acting as first points of contact for those wanting to assist. Their local knowledge and connections are invaluable assets.
Working closely with the local government to ensure access to the quake zone is available, a team of medical experts from Global Doctor as well as locally-based doctors left late this afternoon in three 4x4s stocked with emergency medical supplies. The drive will take 12 to 14 hours non-stop, meaning they will arrive shortly after first light on Saturday morning. SQR will be keeping in close contact with Plateau Perspectives and the other groups involved as we help coordinate the relief effort.
As well as the urgent need to get medical aid to the afflicted, there is a wider pressing need to distribute food, water, blankets and other emergency supplies.
Posted in Relief, SQR Activities | No Comments »
Friday, April 16th, 2010
Sichuan Quake Relief has begun to conduct research to identify pockets in the Yushu disaster area that have not yet been reached with aid and medical support. As of this afternoon (April 16) locals report that Longbao town, 75kms from Jiegu Town, is in need of support.
The road from Jiegu to Longbao is now accessible. The town has a population of 8,700 (1,800 families). Initial reports indicate that the town was severely affected by the quake and there is a high death toll and many injuries. The survivors are in need of:
- basic medical supplies (mostly bandages, antibiotics, painkillers etc.)
- tents
- blankets
- a power generator
- water
- instant food.
All these supplies can be purchased in Xining and trucked to Longbao in a matter of hours with the support of local officials.
Donations can be made via our donations page marked “Yushu”.
Posted in Relief, SQR Activities, Yushu Earthquake | 1 Comment »
Friday, May 8th, 2009
More than 5,000 people in the remote villages of Cao Pu and Li Xian are struggling to meet their daily food needs a year after the deadly earthquake that reduced their homes to rubble.
Cao Pu and Li Xian are examples of the pockets of extreme poverty that are still to be found in the devasted region. The villages are between 2,000 and 3,000 metres high, only a few miles from the 5.12 earthquake epicentre, and since the quake are often very difficult to access by road. With aftershocks, landslides and floods a daily threat to their existence these tent-dwellers often do not have enough food to meet their family’s basic needs.
Sichuan Quake Relief needs your support to keep sending in supplies of rice, oil, vegetables, meat and fruit to these stricken people.
To help support their nutritional needs for the next two months, SQR is aiming to raise 200,000RMB.
Tags:food, help, hunger, starvation
Posted in Donation, Living conditions, Relief | No Comments »
Friday, February 27th, 2009
中央级救灾物资储备库年底建成
20. 来源：成都商报
According to the Sichuan Provincial Bureau of Civil Affairs, the draft of the feasibility study on Central-level Reserve Depot of Relief Supplies, which is planned to be installed in Shuangliu Logistics Park, was finished a few days ago. The 150-mu-occupying reserve depot is expected to go into service by the end of the year.
记者昨日从四川省民政厅获悉，成都中央级救灾物资储备库工程项目可研报告初稿已于日前完成。储备库初步规划占地150亩，选址在双流空港物流园区。今年内将全面完成建设任务。
Tags:depot, Relief supplies, ShuangLiu Airport, Sichuan Provincial Bureau of Civil Affairs
Posted in Construction and infrastructure, Infrastructure, Local government, Official news source, Relief, Transport | No Comments »
Friday, February 27th, 2009
Snow adds woes to quake-stricken county in China’s Sichuan
2009-01-09
BEICHUAN, Sichuan, Jan. 9 (Xinhua) — “Damn it, I can’t brake.” The driver’s desperate yell left everyone in a cold sweat.
But the Volkswagen Touareg stopped in time – its rear wheels merely 30 cm from the cliff. Xinhua reporter Liu Dajiang describes Thursday’s trip to Beichuan as “incredibly perilous.”
He said: “It was a life-and-death moment. The SUV that was driving uphill suddenly slid back toward the 2,180-meter tall cliff.”
The icy mountain road that served as a lifeline in Beichuan, a county that was reduced to rubble by the strong earthquake of May 12, was as slippery as glass. The road, connecting 12 outlying towns and villages, was covered with snow and ice, with two major cave-ins.
Along the route, Liu said he saw more than 200 workers doing repairs and clearing ice and snow.
Heavy snow that began to fall on New Year’s Day has disrupted road traffic since Jan. 2, cutting off more than 60,000 residents, said Huang Junshan, a traffic police officer in Leigu Township.
To ensure road safety, Huang and his colleagues stopped every passing vehicle, registering the number plates, taking photos and making sure the tire chains were in place.
“We urge drivers with less than three years’ road experience to abandon their trips into the mountains,” said Huang.
The 36-km trip from Leigu Township to Yuli Village, the endpoints of the road, takes three hours.
Leigu and Yuli were among the worst-hit areas in the 8.0-magnitude quake. Thousands of people died. Schools and hospitals were relocated to prefabricated structures, while villagers built huts with boards and felt.
As temperatures fell to the freezing point, most villagers heated their homes with firewood.
“Fortunately we’ve stored some supplies,” said Liu Taiyuan, 72.His little cabin in Yuli Village was kept warm by charcoal. Homemade sausages hung on the wall.
Liu and his wife kept adding fuel to the stove, but the place was still too cold for their 12-year-old grandson, who huddled under his quilt to watch TV.
By the end of last year, Liu said the local government had rationed out rice, cooking oil, quilts, winter clothing, and 140 yuan (20 U.S. dollars) in cash. “The real trouble is transportation,” said Liu. “A trip to Leigu Township costs 150 yuan.”
The traffic logjam hampered the construction of permanent homes, said village official Fu Zhanguo. “A brick that sells for 0.3 yuan in other counties costs three times as much here.”
Next to Liu’s cabin stood his partly-built new home. The concrete structure and roof were in place, but “we’re still waiting for bricks to complete the house,” said Liu.
As of Friday, 16 provinces — more than half of the country — have had snow or sleet. Ice storms have snarled traffic in central, eastern and southern China, posing threats to the coming Spring Festival travel rush, which starts Sunday.
There’s no forecast for snow in arid Beijing, however, in the next 10 days, the municipal meteorological bureau said Friday.
Tags:Beichuan, brick, ice, Leigu, repair, rubble, snow, Winter, Yuli
Posted in Living conditions, Official news source, Transport, Winter | No Comments »
Friday, February 27th, 2009
On Jan 16th 2009, 3 students, on behalf of the Department of Humanists of Southwestern University of Finance and Economics, bought and delivered 1.7 tons of rice to the China Volunteer Association under the coordination of SQR.
This rice will be distributed to the most quake-hit villages in Wenchuan.
Tags:China Volunteer Association, Department of Humanists of Southwestern University of Finance and Economics, rice
Posted in Civil society, Donation, Education, Relief, SQR Activities | No Comments »
Friday, February 27th, 2009
China extends grace period for quake victims who took out loans
Xinhua 2009-01-01 18:16:17
Individuals and enterprises that can’t repay loans because of the May 12th earthquake will get more time, the country’s central bank and banking regulator said Thursday.
Individuals who borrowed from Chinese banks before the quake will be given a grace period of another six months to repay the money. The new deadline is June 30 of this year, according to a joint statement by the People’s Bank of China and the China Banking Regulatory Commission.
Corporations will get a longer grace period of another 12 months. Repayment is now due at the end of 2009.
Previously, quake victims were told to repay borrowed money by the end of 2008.
The two agencies also urged banks not to push for loan repayment if debtors in the quake-hit regions fall behind in payments. They said lenders should not levy fines for defaults or add default notices to borrowers’ credit records during the extended grace period.
The May 12 earthquake left more than 87,000 people dead or missing. Millions more are homeless.
Tags:bad loans, Bank of China, China Banking Regulatory Commission, debt, default, loan
Posted in Finance, work and business, Micro-funding, National government, Relief | No Comments »
Thursday, February 26th, 2009
China plans 9 billion Yuan aid for the impoverished
2009-01-13 16:18:25
China announced on Tuesday an aid package totaling 9 billion Yuan (1.32 billion U.S. dollars) for the country’s needy people two weeks ahead of its traditional Lunar New Year.
About 74 million Chinese receiving the minimum living allowances or the “five guarantees” (namely food, clothing, medical care, housing and burial expenses provided by local governments to those without relatives or employment), would receive a one-off payment of 100 Yuan if they live in the countryside and 150 Yuan if they live in the cities.
The rural allowance was less than that in urban areas because living costs there were lower.
The payment would be made from the central budget before the Chinese Lunar New Year, one of the most important occasions for family reunion in the country. This year’s Lunar New Year falls on Jan. 26.
By Tuesday, the southwestern province of Sichuan, jolted by the magnitude-8 earthquake in May, allocated 394 million Yuan for clothing and shelter to help the quake-affected people get through the harsh winter. This relief comes in addition to the nationwide aid package.
Chengdu, provincial capital of Sichuan, even handed out 100-yuan-worth shopping coupons to the needy citizens.
The neighboring province of Shaanxi, also jolted during the May earthquake, donated about 850,000 quilts and 110,000 pieces of clothing to its quake-affected people.
The province also granted rural and urban citizens living on the minimum living allowances an extra payment of their monthly minimum living allowances. Funds to cover heating expenses were also given out to those who lived on the minimum living allowances.
“The Chinese government attaches great concern to the livelihood of the disadvantaged population, especially in times of a global financial crisis,” Jiang Li, Vice Minister of the Civil Affairs said.
Local authorities must make sure all needy citizens qualifying for the aid package receive the payment in time, “so that they could enjoy a happy Lunar New Year,” he said.
The average annual net income for rural workers in China is 4,140 Yuan in 2007, against 24,932 Yuan in cities.
At present, about 62 million Chinese receive monthly minimum living allowances from the local governments, while 5.3 million people receive the “five guarantees.”
The average monthly allowance in 2007 was 182.4 Yuan in urban districts per person and 70 Yuan in rural areas. China had increased the monthly minimum living allowance by 15 Yuan in urban districts per person and by 10 Yuan for rural residents at the beginning of 2008.
Tags:aid, Jiang Li, living allowance, Ministry of Civil Affairs, nationwide aid package, poor, Vice Minister of Civil Affairs
Posted in Governance and social policy, Government, Living conditions, Local government, National government, Official news source, Relief | No Comments »
Wednesday, February 18th, 2009
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-01/27/content_10726131.htm
by Xinhua writer Zhou Yan
CHENGDU, Jan. 27 (Xinhua) — Southwest China’s Sichuan Province said Tuesday it will closely audit the use of post-quake rebuilding funds over the next three to five years and publicly release the results at the end of that period.
The province will carefully scrutinize the raising, distribution and use of funds and supplies, according to a document issued by the general office of the Sichuan provincial government.
“The funds and supplies [audited] will include appropriations by the provincial and local governments, as well as donations,” the notice said.
Central government appropriations will be separately monitored by the Beijing-based National Audit Office. Last year, the central government allocated 70 billion yuan (about 10.1 billion U.S. dollars) for a reconstruction fund for the quake zone.
The document, however, did not mention the controversial purchase of a luxury car in Beichuan, one of the hardest-hit counties. The mountainous county, where about 20,000 people were dead or missing after the massive earthquake, paid 1.1 million yuan including taxes for a luxury Toyota land cruiser. The deal, exposed in a blog, triggered public anger and was termed as “corruption” by some critics. However, Beichuan’s public security Chief Zhang Depu defended the purchase Friday, saying tough transport conditions made high-quality cross-country vehicles necessary in emergencies. He said the land cruiser would become a wireless communications car for emergency use in rescue and disaster relief work.
The provincial document said that auditors in Sichuan will give special attention to key projects and areas such as the rebuilding of homes, schools, hospitals, welfare homes and other public facilities. Auditors will also scrutinize quality control systems in the post-quake rebuilding, it said.
The magnitude-8.0 quake that hit southwest China, including many parts of Sichuan, on May 12 killed more than 69,000 people. It also left nearly 18,000 missing, more than 374,000 injured and millions homeless.
The Sichuan provincial government estimated post-quake rebuilding will cost about 1.6 trillion yuan.
Workers from 20 provinces are involved in the reconstruction effort. Those provinces will allocate at least 1 percent of their annual fiscal revenues into the reconstruction projects for three years.
Tags:audit, corruption, National Audit Office., wireless communications car, Xinhua news agency, Zhang Depu
Posted in Construction and infrastructure, Facilities reconstruction, Government, Home rebuilding, Infrastructure, Investment, Labour and migration, Local government, National government, Official news source, Relief, Transport | No Comments »
Friday, January 16th, 2009
Sichuan Quake Relief volunteers delivered winter supplies to children at a school in the village of Guangji, two hours northwest of Chengdu on January 9th, 2009. The 132 children, aged two to six years, currently attend a day school in a temporary structure with no heat or running water. In spite of their conditions, the children greeted volunteers with smiles and a song.
Schoolboy at Guangji Kindergarten.
Their school, Guangji Di Kang Le Kindergarten, was closed due to structural damage after the earthquake. The school has been moved to a temporary structure in a neighbouring field until part of the school can be reinforced, and an older section demolished. Principal Kang Yuling hopes that they will be able to return to the school in September 2009 if donations are made available. The school has been given a 5,000rmb subsidy by the government to help with the rebuilding, but it will cost at least 50,000rmb to simply strengthen the structure, plus any decoration costs.
The temporary building is cold.
As the temporary classrooms are extremely cold, SQR volunteers provided students with 15,806rmb’s worth of winter supplies, including; gloves, scarves, coats, long underwear and electric kettles (receipts available). The funding for this project was provided by the British Chamber of Commerce Shanghai (www.sha.britcham.org). The British Chamber of Commerce Shanghai donated a total of 37,000rmb to be used for this school.
School principal (l) Kang Yuling
The Guangji Di Kang Le Kindergarten is the only pre-school institution and Kindergarten serving five villages. Almost all the parents of the children that attend this school are migrant workers who are forced to work in the coastal cities as there is very little employment in the quake area. This school is a non-profit community project that has been around for more than 20 years. Principal Kang taught many of the parents of her current students when the school opened up first. In 2006, to help them move to better premises she donated part of her family’s farmland, and a section of her family home to start the school. In addition, the other teachers raised enough money to build a new section, purchase playground equipment, and supplies.
The building remained standing, but damage is severe.
The school they built then with their own money, though badly damaged by the quake, was one of the few buildings in the area that stayed standing. All of the children and staff got out of the building safely when the earthquake struck.
Tuition for the kids, including meals, is 120rmb per month. If families cannot afford the fees the school reduces or waives them. The local government has confirmed there will be no more financial support for this community kindergarten. SQR is currently assessing the situation in detail with a view to helping to rebuild the school, and perhaps extend the community facilities, and develop a long-term partnership with the Guangji community. This project will be implemented in conjunction with the Chengdu American Chamber of Commerce, the British Chamber of Commerce SouthWest China, and the European Chamber of Commerce in Chengdu, and the Chengdu International Women’s Club.
Photos by Kirsten Allen
Tags:assessment, British Chamber of Commerce, community project, demolish, glove, Guangji, Kang Yuling, kettle, kindergarten, long-term partnership, migrant, non-profit, reinforce, scarf, school, Shanghai, subsidy, temporary housing, tuition, winter supplies
Posted in Childcare, Civil society, Construction and infrastructure, Donation, Education, Facilities reconstruction, Home rebuilding, Infrastructure, Labour and migration, Living conditions, Local government, SQR, SQR Activities, SQR Donation Request, Winter | No Comments »
