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CWS appeal: China earthquake

A man and a child sit in the rain amidst the rubble of a collapsed structure after an earthquake in Dujiangyan City, China.

Photo: REUTERS/Claro Cortes IV, courtesy www.alertnet.org

May 13, 2008

Information is beginning to broaden following the earthquake in southwest China that has killed nearly 12,000. More than 20 provinces are affected. Officials with CWS partner and Action by Churches Together member, Amity Foundation report that many buildings, including government facilities, are collapsed or severely damaged, and that the demand on local emergency responders is great.

Local communication systems and roads have been destroyed, which complicates response as well as reporting information from the disaster area.

CWS response

CWS supports the work of Amity Foundation in this disaster. Amity staff members are assessing the damage from Chengdu and other affected areas. Amity has already provided 1 million Yuan (approximately US$143,000) for the purchase and provision of drinking water and food for heavily-damaged Du Jiangyan. Working with local partners in each province, relief operations are expected to expand to include:

Counties of Wenchuan, Lixian, Beichuan, Maoxian, Dujiangyan, and Mianzhu in Sichuang Province

Longnan city in Gansu Province

Baoji city and Hanzhong city in Sha'anxi Province

The areas of Gansu and Sha'anxi, especially Sichuan are being targeted as they are the most severely affected areas, which induced large losses. Amity will focus its relief on approximately 8,000 families whose homes are destroyed and are among the most-vulnerable communities.

In this crisis phase, Amity expects to ensure:

16,000 of the most vulnerable individuals have sufficient food (15 kilos of rice/person) to tide them over the immediate emergency period of food shortage.

8,000 poor families have sufficient added protection through the provision of a quilt.

8,000 homeless families have sufficient added protection to survive the bad weather conditions (weather forecast shows that heavy rains is expected in following two days in quake center areas) through the provision of a sheet of plastic cloth.

Following the crisis, Amity will assist in re-building by assisting with:

Rehabilitation of 600 houses that were destroyed or severely damaged

Construction of 10 schools

Rebuilding five hospitals or clinics

Rehabilitating five drinking water or irrigation systems

Contributions to support this emergency appeal may be made online, sent to your denomination, or to Church World Service, P.O. Box 968, Elkhart, IN, 46515. Please designate: Appeal # 699-B, 2008 China Earthquake Response.

Media Contact:
Lesley Crosson, CWS/New York, 212-870-2676;
Jan Dragin, 781-925-1526;

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