Working with Chengdoo Citylife I have set up a very simple website on which you can register to help with relief efforts:

Volunteer Opportunities
We have word that in the coming days and weeks the assistance of civilian volunteers may be needed. We are compiling a list of potential volunteers which we will pass off to the organizations working in the area.

So, if you are living in Chengdu/Sichuan, please go there and register to volunteer as soon as you can!

Still feeling aftershocks in Chengdu . . .

Day four and the people of Chengdu are starting to return to their normal lives. The palpable sense of fear that gripped the city for three days now seems to be largely gone. Many have switched gears entirely: an individual sense of self-preservation has turned into a city-wide sense of urgency to help the victims, many of whom are located just an hour’s drive north.

Outside of apartment complexes throughout the city makeshift donation centers have been set up to collect anything people are willing to give. This is what it looked like outside my complex today, as I was leaving my apartment:

The makeshift donation center outside of my building.

And on the way home, as they were loading goods:

Loading onto the truck

At the red cross headquarters downtown, hundreds upon hundreds of mostly young people were trying to help in any way they could. However, because unskilled volunteers were being turned away, they were mostly limited to forming human conveyor belts that transported food and water from the dozens of cars outside–themselves driven by volunteers–to the Red Cross headquarters. Whereas the past few days was typified by a palpable sense of fear, standing in these crowds I felt much more a sense of urgency and compassion–a feeling that hit me in the gut. It was hard not to be overcome.

Of course, I’m not even sure forming a human conveyor belt was necessary (it would probably be faster for one person to just run the goods inside, and, regardless, speed didn’t seem like a top priority). But people here clearly need to feel like they’re helping and that they’re doing something–effective or not.

Human conveyor belts

Private cars lining up to drop off donations.

Donation box for the Chengdu Red Cross

Many store owners were also putting up banners that read “众志成城, 抗震救灾” which basically means “If we work together we can do anything–come together for disaster relief!”

People make a banner that reads 众志成城，抗震救灾

People make a banner that reads 众志成城，抗震救灾

On the way home we ran into some young Red Cross volunteers as they were getting ready to Jinagyou (江油). Their van was packed. They told us that if we wanted to help the best thing was to go to the Number 2 Hospital in Chengdu, where they need people to run supplies. We’ll be going there tonight, assuming that volunteers will be more urgently needed then.

Young volunteers waiting to go to Jiangyou

Many thanks to Ryan who has designed an earthquake relief badge:

It links to his page on Lost Laowai which provides constantly updated information on the best ways to contribute.

Here is the code:

<a href=”http://www.lostlaowai.com/china-earthquake-how-you-can-help” title=”China Quake Relief”><img src=”http://www.lostlaowai.com/images/china-quake-donate.png” alt=”China Quake Donation” width=”200px” height=”100px” border=”0″ /></a>

Overall, I’d say the Chinese media has done a fantastic job of reporting on the quake. There is not a large difference between what I am seeing/hearing in Chinese media and that which I’m reading in Western media. The AP has noticed this, but of course can’t help but slip in a not-so-subtle hint of censorship:

Officials have not fully unshackled the often tightly controlled media. Reports are emphasizing the government’s rapid, full-scale response over grieving and sometimes angry survivors.

I can’t say a totally agree with this.

There are running lists of missing Chinese on local TV as well as on the Chengdu Red Cross site, but this is the only list I know of missing foreigners.

1st minute: Get the fuck out.

1st and 2nd day: Fear for personal safety and that of friends and loved ones. Become more and more frightened with each news report and each aftershock.

3rd day: Can’t stop thinking of the people just a half an hour drive north of here. Must do something. Went to relief concert at Cafe Paname tonight. Will be going to Red Cross tomorrow. Anyone know how to help/reach evacuees who have fled to Chengdu?

/// Sky news has footage of the quake in “Chengdu.” Note to Sky News: there are no mountains visible from Chengdu itself. That looks like video from Qingcheng mountain, and indeed looks remarkable similar to John Dkar’s video that I posted earlier.

/// My friend Bill, who is normally a bartender at the Leg and Whistle Pub downtown, and who apparently is more insane/brave than I knew, got on a bus heading north immediately after the earthquake. He’s written about his experiences here and his photographs are available here.

/// Many people in Chengdu are still sleeping outside in tents or cars.

/// Rumors today of the water being turned off. We heard it would 4-7 days due to contamination from leaking chemical plants in Dujiangyan. I bought into it (rumors about aftershocks from security guards are one thing, but being told the water is being turned off is another–that seemed something a security guard might actually have first hand knowledge of). I filled all my pots and buckets with water. After a short while it was clear that it was just another bit of panic. Who knows how it started. Just received this message on my cell phone:

都江堰未发生任何化工厂暴躁，源水未收到任何污染，自来供水该正常，水质良好。成都市抗震救灾指挥部。
There has been no chemical plant explosion in Dujiangyan. Water sources have not been polluted. Water has been normal all along and the water quality is good. Chengdu Disaster Relief Headquarters

Once again via Chengdoo’s twitter.

Charlie Mosley, who was with John Dkar, has written an account of what happened:

“It was like an explosion. The houses started breaking apart all around us, the ground was shaking and glass was flying everywhere,” said Charlie.

They got on their bikes and tried to navigate down the rolling mountainside. Charlie was in front and was brought to a screeching halt when a landslide took out the road fifty feet in front of him. His friends stopped behind him, and they turned around and headed back up the mountain. They hadn’t gone five city blocks when they came to a house that had collapsed into the street, blocking the way up.

“It was surreal. We were trapped and all of the buildings around us were crumbling into dust. The white powder covered everyone’s face, people came out into the road screaming and crying. There were many injuries – broken limbs, head trauma. It looked like Ground Zero after 911.”