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Earthquake alleviation work enters new phase
By QI XIAO (China Daily)
Updated: 2010-04-26 07:13
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Focus shifts from search for survivors to reconstruction and resettlement
YUSHU, Qinghai - The earthquake relief efforts in Yushu, the Tibetan autonomous prefecture, will shift from searching for possible survivors to reconstruction and the resettlement of those who lost their homes, a senior government official said.
Saturday was the final day for rescuers to comb the quake-hit Yushu region in a bid to find survivors buried under the rubble, and Vice-Premier Hui Liangyu said work would now focus on building temporary shelters, treating people who were hurt and reconstructing the quake-ravaged area.
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During his visits to two hard-hit towns on Friday and Saturday, Hui said the quake relief work had been remarkably successful, particularly regarding the search for those buried, the treatment and transfer of the injured and the delivery of basic necessities to survivors.
Hui mentioned that people in religious circles had played an important role in the quake rescue and relief work, and he urged all ethnic groups to join together in reconstruction.
He said the timetable and other details for reconstruction projects will be outlined as soon as possible, and that hygiene and disease control must be improved, with the prevention and control of plague and rabies a priority.
New houses
Hui's morale-raising 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.
Already packing for his new home, Tsering Lhamo said he could not wait to return to school.
"Although some family members have passed away in the quake, my parents support me in continuing my studies for a better future," he said.
Business activities gradually returned to normal in Gyegu town. Grocery stores had already resumed operating, while post offices and banks are gearing up to reopen in a few days.
Although Wu Zhiqiang and his Tibetan wife are about to be resettled into a new makeshift house built by the government, they are counting on themselves to build a new home.
"We can build a house entirely by ourselves, if the government will provide building materials," said Wu, who moved to Yushu from Sichuan province more than a decade ago.
"There is hope as long as we work together," he said.
Moving out
While some local residents have decided to stay, others are planning to move, taking with them the few possessions they managed to dig out of the debris that was their homes.
In Xihang West Street in Gyegu, a number of families on Saturday were busy with loading furniture onto trucks.
"We are moving these to Batang county," said Choha Gonpo, a 21-year-old man. "I have relatives there."
He said his family was also considering moving to Batang, Sichuan province, at least for the time being.
"It may take about a year to rebuild Gyegu," he said, "Food supplies are adequate and living conditions are much better (than when the quake first struck), but I don't want to live in tents for long."
Not far from Choha Gonpo's home, several people were busy packing another truck.
"The truck is heading for Batang, too," Yutso Lhamo, a 41-year-old woman, said while carrying a six-door wardrobe that only had a single remaining door.
Her home, built on the hillside, collapsed almost without trace. Fortunately, there were no casualties in her family from the quake.
"The weather here is quite unpredictable with rain and snow," she said, adding that while the furniture is broken, it still has some use in the immediate future.
She said she has a few relatives in Batang, who are willing to accommodate what her family has unearthed from their house.
However, Yutso Lhamo and her family will be staying in Gyegu. "This is my home," she said. "I will wait for reconstruction."
Xinhua contributed to this story.
CHINA DAILY
(China Daily 04/26/2010 page3)
