Sichuan Quake Relief (SQR)

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.