I don't know what you guys are seeing back home, since I'm only able to access the cable news websites and not see foreign news television. I really wish I understood Chinese right now, because all I can convey is my impression of the images. The devastation is breathtaking. Entire villages without a single structure intact. The death toll keeps rising, and I saw on CNN online today that they're predicting 4.8 million homeless. That's equivalent to the entire population of the state of Colorado. If that's too much land mass to wrap your head around, it's also roughly equal to the combined populations of the cities of Chicago and Houston.
Say what you will about the Chinese military, but there is one huge advantage to having an efreakingnormous domestic military presence - mobilization. This is what you call a "top down" approach - a far cry different from the bottom up "It's not my fault. You should have asked for help" approach. It has been five days since the earthquake, and the response is phenomenal. Every image on TV shows scores of uniformed personnel literally crawling all over the place. They're busting tail to rescue people, assist the survivors, and contain this situation - air dropping supplies and parachuting people into regions that aren't accessible by road (due to landslides and destruction). There must be hundreds of thousands of troops on the ground there. And the news is showing crates and crates of supplies, medicines, people donating blood. It's a huge force.
Then add to that the moral and public support. Both President Hu Jintao and Prime Minister Wen Jiabao have been on the ground meeting with the local people and the rescue teams. Not flying over and surveying the destruction in an "Air Force One" style jet. Not driving through the streets in a motorcade. Walking. Through the rubble. Talking to people. Seeing the devastation first hand. You can see on the faces of the people what that means. You can see the old woman in the wheel chair realize that her president actually does care. It's not an all smiles photo-op. It's a comforting moment of support between two humans.
Then add further on top of that the nation-wide support. Again, I wish I understood Chinese, but in the last 24 hours I've discovered two different telethons being broadcast. One was on last night as I was drifting off to sleep and is still on 12 hours later. They've had T-shirts printed, signs made, dances choreographed, songs written, slide shows generated, and all the while a phone number ticks across the bottom of the screen. People I'm with here have been talking about how to help. This is one of those disasters of such an unfathomable scale that it's comforting to see a place where it can be handled with grace and efficiency.
Now contrast that to the gut wrenching and heartbreaking conditions in Myanmar right now.
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2 comments:
I am glad to hear you are ok. I haven't been able to keep up with your posts as my work blocked the site, but I was very worried about you. It seems silly now that I spent a week in melancholy over as for now unfulfilled eventualities while 4 million people roam homeless. I would have recommended you read The Idiot by Dostevsky (totally wrong spelling) It took me 4 months to read because of all the russian characters with very similiar names (like a vowel change in the name and it was a totally different person). I finally had to draw myself a map.
Heya,
I had to look back on your blog b/c I realized about a week ago, about the same time as Will, that we were really concerned about you. I am SO glad you are okay! You've been in my thoughts. I hope you are having an interesting time and I can't wait to catch up when you are back in the States. Safe and fulfilling travels!
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