China Earthquake Relief

I received this in an email today... (I know, I'm a little slow but hey - "Better Late Than Never!")

This is an urgent appeal for your help to the China earthquake relief!

The China earthquake has killed 69,224, injured 274,683, still 32,666 missing and made more than 5 million people homeless as known today. On May 12, a powerful earthquake measuring 7.9 on the Richter scale struck Sichuan province in south-western China. The deadliest earthquake to hit China in three decades has killed nearly 69,224 people and the toll is likely to rise sharply as tens of thousands more remain buried under debris. Thousands of people are still trapped under flattened buildings and rescuers are searching through the rubble with their bare hands as rescue operations are hampered by heavy rains and road blocks caused by fallen boulders and landslides. The high numbers of people still missing means that the death toll is likely to rise considerably over the coming days. In some areas as much as 80 percent of homes have been destroyed. Tents and makeshift shelters cover every available stretch of land.

More is needed even though people and governments around the world have donated generously for the rescue effort and emergency relief. It is reported that the total population affected by the quake is more than 22 Million across 5 provinces in China. The earthquake has destroyed close to 7000 schools, thousands of children have become orphans. The shear scale of the disaster means that the relief effort will be a long and difficult one. It will take many, many years for the people to resettle and rebuild their communities and livelihood.

I am appealing to you to give generously for the people suffered and still suffering from the quake, particularly those children. When I saw those little faces on TV, I was deeply saddened by this devastating tragedy and I felt so compelled to help. Also, this affects me on a personal level since I came from Chengdu, a city just 93km from the epic centre. That night I made my donation to the China Earthquake Relief Fund set up by Australia Red Cross. Now I am helping raise more fund for various charities including those listed below. If you’d like to help, please go to the website and give generously. By donating to the relief funds, you will be directly helping those affected by this earthquake with their immediate needs including food, clean water, clothing, shelter and medical care.

If you feel like you can afford to help them through some donation, please do it through Red Cross || Google || Official China Earthquake Aid. Some pictures available here, http://www.cryptome.cn/cn-quake4/cn-quake4.htm.

Thank you for your compassion and generosity in support of the people affected by the disaster...