At a morning class last week at Tianjin Medical University, my students pointed out to me that I wasn't my usual happy self and asked me what was wrong.

I was suffering from aftershocks of the devastating earthquakes in Japan and China's Yunnan province, as I used to live in a region in Japan that was severely affected, and I still have friends in the area. Worry and sadness had sucked all the fun out of me.

It turned out that I wasn't alone in this, as some of my students had friends and relatives in Japan, and were equally worried about what was happening there.

"My parents wanted to ring my uncle", one told me, "but the phone lines where he is living are down. Luckily I looked online, and found out he was OK - but they're still frightened something else might go wrong."

Watching the news footage brought back painful memories for other students, who had experienced the Sichuan earthquake only a few years ago.

"I hoped something like this would never happen again," said one student from the province. "Friends of mine lost everything when their houses fell down. Seeing the damage done to these people's homes just makes me so sad. I want to help in any way I can."

My hometown, Adelaide, is pretty lucky in that it has never had a devastating earthquake. There have been a few minor tremors over the years, but hopefully it will remain unaffected by seismic activity on any major scale.

When I moved to Japan to live and work, it was another story. We'd quite frequently have earthquake drills, in which we'd practice taking cover and getting to safety. I kept a "grab and go" kit by the front door of my apartment, stocked with non-perishable food, bottled water and other survival equipment, just in case anything happened.

Luckily, I never had to use it - but it was always better to be safe than sorry. Every little shake would find me clutching it, and heading outside fast.

What makes earthquakes so frightening is that they're totally unpredictable. Unlike fires or floods, you can't run away from them, or attempt to stop them from threatening life and property - they're just a catastrophic force of nature.

As the full extent of the damage is being assessed, my students have begun to organize a donation drive, to raise money to help others in need. As one student said: "At times like this, the whole world needs to get together and make an effort!"

In class, we passed around an envelope and everyone contributed what they could. The students took a bucket to the canteen to try and collect more funds, which they're forwarding to the Red Cross. It's surprising how generous they are - and how quickly even a number of small donations can add up.

Some of my post-graduate students are experienced doctors and surgeons, who are willing to volunteer their services to help where they can. Others have told me that they'd be happy to just go and help rebuild houses in the affected areas. It really makes me proud to be part of such a large group of people who just want to help those worse off than themselves.

The devastation caused by a serious earthquake can take years to fix and some shattered lives can never be repaired - but we can all do something to help. Either physically or financially, every effort we make to help others can only help to bring us all closer together in this hour of need.

China Daily