OPINION> Commentary
Long and hard road ahead
(China Daily)
Updated: 2008-05-23 07:28

We should avoid slackening our efforts in disaster-relief and rebuilding the quake-hit areas, says an article in Beijing News. The following is an excerpt:

Eleven days have passed since the quake struck Wenchuan on May 12. And now the three-day national mourning for the quake victims has also drawn to a close. Starting yesterday, the Olympic torch resumed its relay. The social order has been regained slowly with the people gradually recovering from their shock, anxiety and sorrow. Against this backdrop, the whole society still keeps its eyes on the Wenchuan quake and we hope this attention will not be slackened.

Attention is needed despite the fact that more and more lives are still saved from the debris; the donations from home and abroad have surpassed 10 billion yuan. The rescue work by the government is well underway, and the social order of the quake-hit areas tends toward stabilization.

Compared with the estimated requirement of rebuilding funds of more than 100 billion yuan, the donation of 10 billion is not enough.

The disaster relief has just begun. At present, the quake-affected people are facing tough living conditions. They lack drinking water and food. There is a shortfall of 3 million tents, thus a great many victims have to sleep in the open air. Many injured people urgently need medicines. In the hard-hit Maoxian county, the stock of medicines for children is exhausted. Innumerable people still cannot recover from the shock of the death of their family members. As experts estimate, the number of people psychologically struck by the quake may exceed 500,000. Some even lose the courage to continue their lives due to the loss of their family members, houses and personal assets.

We have no reason to slacken our efforts as we encounter the suffering people, the helpless souls and the destroyed homelands.

In fact, the national disaster relief is bound to be a tough, long-term and tenacious campaign. It may take several decades to rebuild the quake-struck areas, relocate the victims and salvage numerous broken hearts. In this process, we should keep caring for and helping the quake-affected people without a pause. Everyone of us should think about what more we can do for the quake-affected people.

(China Daily 05/23/2008 page8)