Aftershocks

I'm not sure how much press the earthquake is getting in the West, but understandably, it's dominating the news here in China. It's really a tragedy. For the first couple days, roads going into and out of the area were completely blocked off, and most of the telecommunications infrastructure in the area were knocked out for one reason or another. So the worst hit areas were also the toughest to get help to. They've got most of the roads in somewhat reasonable shape now, but there's still a ton of work to be done, and not a lot of time to do it in. The army has taken to parachuting in help to areas that are still unaccessible.

Some more disturbing facts:

• It's now estimated that the death toll could reach 50,000. By comparison, Hurricane Katrina killed about 1,800 Americans.
  
• In one small town of 12,000 near the epicentre, there are still only 3,000 confirmed survivors. Imagine losing 75% of the people you know.
• A lot of schools collapsed before its students and teachers were able to get out. For small villages with only one school, that means that almost every kid below the age of 13 is buried in rubble.
  
• There have been almost 2,000 aftershocks, making the jobs of rescue workers even harder.
• Near the epicentre, you're extremely lucky if the only things you've lost are your home and your possessions.
  

I've donated some money to the relief efforts through the Canadian Red Cross; you can find out more about how to help here.

Here's hoping that the rescue efforts go as well as possible.

Correction: When I said "most" of the roads are alright, I should have said "almost none". It wasn't until Monday that they finally reached all the affected areas, and I don't think it was for lack of trying. There have been cases where soldiers and other relief workers have had to hike for 40-some hours just to get supplies into (what used to be) towns.