Sand, snow add woes for quake relief work
Source: Xinhua |
April 26, 2010, Monday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
A DOUBLE whammy courtesy of nature has thwarted hundreds of rescuers trying to reach the earthquake-ravaged areas of northwest China.
A fierce sandstorm hit Xining, capital of Qinghai Province, as heavy snow falls on Yushu, the county devastated by the magnitude-7.1 quake that struck on April 14.
The rescuers heading for Yushu are stranded at Xining's Caojiabao Airport.
The route from Xining's airport to Yushu has been dubbed "a lifeline of the air" as it is vital for getting immediate relief and rescuers to the county.
All six daily flights from Xining to Yushu were delayed, a spokesperson for the airport said yesterday morning.
The sandstorm shrouded the airport, with the terminal smelling of dust and chairs covered by yellow grit.
It also engulfed three other regions in north China - the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Gansu Province and the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.
Gansu has been blanketed by the worst sandstorm of the past 17 years since Saturday, with visibility in Minqin County and Jiuquan City reduced to zero overnight.
"Before the sandstorm hit, the weather was fine and it was not even sunset but next thing you know, a strong wind bringing heavy sand blew at me, like a wall of sand, and the sky suddenly became dark," said a resident of Minqin.
Li Ying from Alxa Left Banner in Inner Mongolia, said the neighborhood was covered with grit yesterday.
The sandstorm has caused huge property and agricultural losses, authorities said.
In Gansu, 1.42 million people were affected and 460 evacuated, according to the provincial civil affairs department.
The department said 547 houses collapsed and 812 were damaged during the storm but no deaths had been reported.
Strong wind carrying the sand damaged 85 percent of vineyards in Xinjiang's Turpan Prefecture, a place known for its grapes and Hami melons, said Liu Xinsheng, the local Party chief.
"A third of local farmers' income come from grapes and Hami melon crops and the wind damage will slash their earnings," Liu said.
Reconstruction
Meanwhile, Vice Premier Hui Liangyu on Saturday stressed that quake-relief work in Qinghai should focus on resettling survivors and the area's reconstruction.
Saturday was the last day for rescuers to comb the Yushu region in a bid to find survivors buried under rubble.
The death toll climbed to 2,220 as of last night, with 70 people still missing, more than 12,000 injured, tens of thousands of residential buildings flattened and huge economic losses.
During his visit to the area, Hui said quake-relief work had been successful.
Hui's visit came as the family of 18-year-old Tsering Lhamo and many other survivors prepared for resettlement from tents into newly completed makeshift houses.
"Some family members passed away in the quake but my parents support me in continuing my studies," he said.
A fierce sandstorm hit Xining, capital of Qinghai Province, as heavy snow falls on Yushu, the county devastated by the magnitude-7.1 quake that struck on April 14.
The rescuers heading for Yushu are stranded at Xining's Caojiabao Airport.
The route from Xining's airport to Yushu has been dubbed "a lifeline of the air" as it is vital for getting immediate relief and rescuers to the county.
All six daily flights from Xining to Yushu were delayed, a spokesperson for the airport said yesterday morning.
The sandstorm shrouded the airport, with the terminal smelling of dust and chairs covered by yellow grit.
It also engulfed three other regions in north China - the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Gansu Province and the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.
Gansu has been blanketed by the worst sandstorm of the past 17 years since Saturday, with visibility in Minqin County and Jiuquan City reduced to zero overnight.
"Before the sandstorm hit, the weather was fine and it was not even sunset but next thing you know, a strong wind bringing heavy sand blew at me, like a wall of sand, and the sky suddenly became dark," said a resident of Minqin.
Li Ying from Alxa Left Banner in Inner Mongolia, said the neighborhood was covered with grit yesterday.
The sandstorm has caused huge property and agricultural losses, authorities said.
In Gansu, 1.42 million people were affected and 460 evacuated, according to the provincial civil affairs department.
The department said 547 houses collapsed and 812 were damaged during the storm but no deaths had been reported.
Strong wind carrying the sand damaged 85 percent of vineyards in Xinjiang's Turpan Prefecture, a place known for its grapes and Hami melons, said Liu Xinsheng, the local Party chief.
"A third of local farmers' income come from grapes and Hami melon crops and the wind damage will slash their earnings," Liu said.
Reconstruction
Meanwhile, Vice Premier Hui Liangyu on Saturday stressed that quake-relief work in Qinghai should focus on resettling survivors and the area's reconstruction.
Saturday was the last day for rescuers to comb the Yushu region in a bid to find survivors buried under rubble.
The death toll climbed to 2,220 as of last night, with 70 people still missing, more than 12,000 injured, tens of thousands of residential buildings flattened and huge economic losses.
During his visit to the area, Hui said quake-relief work had been successful.
Hui's visit came as the family of 18-year-old Tsering Lhamo and many other survivors prepared for resettlement from tents into newly completed makeshift houses.
"Some family members passed away in the quake but my parents support me in continuing my studies," he said.
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