Volunteers, businesses rally to help victims recover from quake
By Victoria Fei |
May 25, 2013, Saturday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
WHEN a major earthquake rocks China, the aftershocks reverberate across the country in an outpouring of volunteer disaster response. The Minhang District has always been at the forefront of civic responders.
And so it was after a magnitude-7 quake struck in the rural Sichuan Province city of Ya'an on April 20, which killed 196 people and destroyed homes and public buildings. Minhang citizens sprang into action.
Thirty-six hours after the earthquake struck, Shanghai Minhang Yangfan Industrial Co had 1,000 donated tents, weighing 20 tons, on the way to the relief effort.
Workers at Yangfan worked around the clock for several days to get relief supplies collected and dispatched. The value of their donations was estimated at 500,000 yuan (US$81,300.81).
The company also provided large numbers of tents after killer earthquakes hit Wenchuan in Sichuan in 2008 and in Yushu, Qinghai Province in 2010.
"As one of the biggest tent manufacturers, we have the responsibility to conduct quake-relief as soon as possible," said Liu Jinrong, board chairman of Yangfan. "We held back tents originally destined for export. More than 30 staff helped move the 1,000 tents from the warehouse to make sure they arrived at Chengdu airport on time."
Yang Xiaoyan, the team leader of tent production at Yangfan, actually hails from Sichuan in southwestern China.
"I felt such great sorrow seeing my home province hit by an earthquake again," Yang said. "I was certainly happy to put in the extra hours to help the relief effort. Our tents and sleeping bags are critical as a first response."
After the 2008 earthquake in Wenchuan, the company cancelled all export orders for clothes, bags and suitcases and concentrated production lines on tent manufacture.
Yangfan wasn't the only entity in Minhang to respond to the most recent earthquake. Relief donations came from across the community. The Red Cross of Minhang expanded donation sites to 12 across the district.
Wu Jiarui, 6, a student at Qiying Kindergarten in Minhang, took his piggy bank to a local charity, accompanied by his grandparents.
"I donated 202 yuan," Wu said. "I hope I can help kids there."
Donations came from migrant workers and senior citizens, and from people who have little money to spare.
Zhou Bingyun, whose family is struggling to make ends meet after her son was injured in a car crash and required expensive medical care, donated 600 yuan to the relief effort.
"It's true that our family is in great difficulties, but how much worse are the difficulties of families who lose their home in an earthquake," Zhou said. "Our family received a lot local support after my son's accident. So we are willing to support others in their hour of need."
By the end of April, the Red Cross of Minhang had received donations totaling 553,610 yuan. Most of the money came from business donations.
Shanghai Charity Foundation's Minhang branch took in donations of 349,680 yuan, all from individuals.
Students also rallied to the cause, taking to social networking sites to drum up relief donations.
East China Normal University helped seven students and a teacher from Ya'an check on the status of relatives after the quake.
"Everyone at the university was concerned about the safety of their families," said Jiang Tan, a senior student from the university. "When the quake struck, we needed to take quick action. Weibo is a useful tool that helped us find safety updates online."
Now the work of reconstruction begins, and Minhang is also involved in that effort.
Archivists in Minhang, using scientific techniques, are helping find and restore valuable files damaged or lost in quake-hit Beichuan County in Sichuan. About 80 percent of the county was devastated by the trembler.
Some of files have been flown to Minhang to undergo restoration work.
And so it was after a magnitude-7 quake struck in the rural Sichuan Province city of Ya'an on April 20, which killed 196 people and destroyed homes and public buildings. Minhang citizens sprang into action.
Thirty-six hours after the earthquake struck, Shanghai Minhang Yangfan Industrial Co had 1,000 donated tents, weighing 20 tons, on the way to the relief effort.
Workers at Yangfan worked around the clock for several days to get relief supplies collected and dispatched. The value of their donations was estimated at 500,000 yuan (US$81,300.81).
The company also provided large numbers of tents after killer earthquakes hit Wenchuan in Sichuan in 2008 and in Yushu, Qinghai Province in 2010.
"As one of the biggest tent manufacturers, we have the responsibility to conduct quake-relief as soon as possible," said Liu Jinrong, board chairman of Yangfan. "We held back tents originally destined for export. More than 30 staff helped move the 1,000 tents from the warehouse to make sure they arrived at Chengdu airport on time."
Yang Xiaoyan, the team leader of tent production at Yangfan, actually hails from Sichuan in southwestern China.
"I felt such great sorrow seeing my home province hit by an earthquake again," Yang said. "I was certainly happy to put in the extra hours to help the relief effort. Our tents and sleeping bags are critical as a first response."
After the 2008 earthquake in Wenchuan, the company cancelled all export orders for clothes, bags and suitcases and concentrated production lines on tent manufacture.
Yangfan wasn't the only entity in Minhang to respond to the most recent earthquake. Relief donations came from across the community. The Red Cross of Minhang expanded donation sites to 12 across the district.
Wu Jiarui, 6, a student at Qiying Kindergarten in Minhang, took his piggy bank to a local charity, accompanied by his grandparents.
"I donated 202 yuan," Wu said. "I hope I can help kids there."
Donations came from migrant workers and senior citizens, and from people who have little money to spare.
Zhou Bingyun, whose family is struggling to make ends meet after her son was injured in a car crash and required expensive medical care, donated 600 yuan to the relief effort.
"It's true that our family is in great difficulties, but how much worse are the difficulties of families who lose their home in an earthquake," Zhou said. "Our family received a lot local support after my son's accident. So we are willing to support others in their hour of need."
By the end of April, the Red Cross of Minhang had received donations totaling 553,610 yuan. Most of the money came from business donations.
Shanghai Charity Foundation's Minhang branch took in donations of 349,680 yuan, all from individuals.
Students also rallied to the cause, taking to social networking sites to drum up relief donations.
East China Normal University helped seven students and a teacher from Ya'an check on the status of relatives after the quake.
"Everyone at the university was concerned about the safety of their families," said Jiang Tan, a senior student from the university. "When the quake struck, we needed to take quick action. Weibo is a useful tool that helped us find safety updates online."
Now the work of reconstruction begins, and Minhang is also involved in that effort.
Archivists in Minhang, using scientific techniques, are helping find and restore valuable files damaged or lost in quake-hit Beichuan County in Sichuan. About 80 percent of the county was devastated by the trembler.
Some of files have been flown to Minhang to undergo restoration work.
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