Natural disasters devastate southeast Asia
Stanislas Dupuy
Washington International School
In the first few weeks of May, the international community was devastated by a pair of natural disasters that have already matched the vast scale of disaster of 2004’s Tsunami. On May 3, Cyclone Nargis hit Burma, geographically the largest country in Southeast Asia. A little more than a week later, on May 12, an earthquake struck the Sichuan region of central China.
According to Reuters, the cyclone may have killed up to 15,000 people since mid-May, with possibly 30,000 others still missing. These figures make this the second-deadliest recorded cyclone of all time, and the deadliest natural disaster ever to hit Burma. The United Nations estimates that the cyclone severely affected 1.5 million people, and that the death toll will probably reach 70,000, while the Red Cross’ official estimate is up to 128,000 deaths.
The storm developed in late April, and picked up strength, reaching peak winds of 215 km/h before hitting Burma. In the days following the disaster, Burmese authorities resisted aid before being pressured by world powers and the United Nations. The UN along with international forces such as the United States, Germany and Malaysia were quick to send aid. Recovery efforts were halted when a Red Cross ship carrying
necessary supplies sank. Numerous organizations followed the Red Cross as they helped deliver materials and made efforts to fix the situation.
One of Burma’s border countries, China, was also rocked by a terrible natural disaster. The Sichuan Earthquake hit a region in central China, with its epicenter being in Wenchuan County. However, major cities such as Beijing and Shanghai, and neighboring countries Pakistan, Vietnam and Thailand also felt the earthquake, showing the magnitude of this disaster. As of mid-May, 17,000 have been confirmed dead, with over 65,000 injured and thousands more missing. Many of the dead were children trapped in their schools when the earthquake hit, making the child death toll quote elevated. A strong aftershock hit the area on May 24, leading to further misery.
Director of Global Initiatives and Service Learning, Kate Meenan-Waugh, who was in China at the time, said: “One thing to bear in mind when trying to grasp the horrific impact of these casualties, is that many are children, who were, because of the time of day the earthquake hit, in school and school buildings. China has a strict one-child policy and for most of the parents who lost a child, that is their only child…the loss of any child is horrific, but this is even more heartbreaking.”
The magnitude of the earthquake ranged from 7.5 to 8.0, and civilians reported continuous shaking for about three minutes. Recovery action was very rapid, as the UN, the European Union, and the Vatican City were quick to offer aid. Many other countries joined this effort, giving hope to the victims of the disaster.
Both disasters had tremendous repercussions around the world, and some were felt here in our school’s community, where some students have family in the areas affected.
Students reacted by creating fundraising projects. A group of 11th grade students held a bake sale days after the Burma disaster. Isabel Peñaranda, one of the organizers, was very happy with the bake sale. “It’s a very easy way to raise money quickly,” she said. The organizers baked different types of goods for the event, and raised over $500.
“We had an emotional connection with Burma because of the Buddhist Monks’ protest earlier this year,” added Isabel. She also noted the connection between this disaster and global warming: “it’s a wakeup call about the effects of global warming on the poorest nations in the world.”
“We chose to raise money for Burma because when we heard about the disaster, and learned about the casualties, we felt that we needed to do something about it, especially since the government was not doing much to help the victims,” said 11th grader Eliza Relman.
The group of 11th grade students held another bake sale last week, and plan to have at least one more. “We’re looking into having more of these similar events,” said Isabel.
The Chinese disaster also directly affected the school, as we have many people connected to the country. Eleventh grade ASSIST student Jim Yang was very touched by the Chinese disaster.
“My grandparents live really close to where the earthquake hit, so I was very worried about them,” said Jim. “My grandparents were taking a nap when the bed started shaking, so they ran outside to see what was happening. Then they realized that it was an earthquake. Luckily, they are all right. Now, thousands of people are buried, and I am hoping they can be rescued soon.”
This summer’s LearnServe China trip has also borne witness to this disaster. Head Librarian Pat Kyle and Ms. Meenan-Waugh were in China at the time of the earthquake. The two members of staff were scheduled to visit the Roots & Shoots organization of the Jane Goodall Institute in Chengdu, an area hit by the earthquake. However, due to the tragic circumstances, they could not make the trip, and were forced to stay in Beijing. LearnServe China participants were scheduled to visit Chengdu this summer, but because of the earthquake they will have to visit an area which was not affected.
Ms. Meenan-Waugh, however, remains confident about this summer’s trip, and wants the group to help as much as they can. “This whole effort will become the focus for the LearnServe China fundraisingefforts,” she said through email correspondence from China. “Unfortunately, and understandably, Roots & Shoots will not have the resources or carrying capacity to work with us in June. Of course, our natural impulse is to go in and help, but because of language issues and our own need for accommodation and resources, we would be more of a burden than assistance,” she added.“The People’s Liberation Army has put in thousands of soldiers to literally walk through mountain areas with supplies…recovery efforts are bleak at this point,” she continued. “Some people are reporting up to 2,400 aftershocks, felt in various places in Chengdu and surrounding suburbs. There are cracks in many of the buildings; some are still sleeping in streets for fear of being in buildings.”
She also mentioned the challenge faced by recovery workers to supply water to the affected areas. Forces are worried that stranded civilians deprived of water will drink contaminated water, resulting in even more casualties.
“One of the things Roots & Shoots Chengdu is doing right now is producing a flier,” she said, “to be distributed through streets that cautions people against drinking the water, letting people know where antibiotics and potable water are available.”
Tags: cyclone, earthquake