The Wenchuan Earthquake of May 12
I’ve learned about some earthquakes from books and TV-shows, such as the Tangshan Earthquake of 1974 caused more than 240000 people to lose their life, the Great San Francisco Earthquake of 1906 and Japan Earthquake of 1923. All led a great loss of their own. So it is with the current quake of Wenchuan, on May 12, 2008. It was so strong that almost all of the country shook to some extent. Many people in different places, more or less, felt this shake.
That day, about 14:30, I was surfing on the net looking for informatin about the Philippines. All of sudden, a word was given to me that a violent earthquake just came about in Wenchuan. Oh, man! Would I believe it then? I didn’t regard it as a matter of any importance. After all, I never had a dream of any earthquake.
Until later the day, I’d not believed it. In my opinion, earthquake and volcano were just events in history and, far away from us so that we did not need to spend time to consider when and where them would happen. It was so incredible, but, in Wenchuan, it was true.
My eyes were moist when seeing the painful pictures on television. I was shocked and troubled for lots of buildings collapsed and pinned hundreds of thousands of people. More than five provinces and twenty cities got involved in this quake. some parts of these citis almost became ashes. The water system, power system and traffic system were entirely crippled. In some way, it seemed like the end of the world. You caught the sight of damaged shoes and clothes on the ruins, but no owers; you heard the cries for help from the victims, but it took time; life and death twirled round and round in your heart, but you couldnot get it straight. Maybe nothing left but black and white in mind.
Death and destruction caused by this powerful earthquake was like a dark hole devouring the souls of people. And sometimes we had to hopelessly watch them vanishing one by one from our side while nothing we could do. I’ve got to say, we lost so much, nor regarding whether it was life or porperties.
By all accounts, so far, the confirmed death toll of Wenchuan Earthquake has now reached 62664, 23775 people are missing and 358816 are hurt. And the numbers of loss will be still growing. In most cases, only do I shed tears for I’m touched deeply by man’s life but I do nothing. At the moment, in the melancholy music, I hope with all my heart that the loss caused by the quake could reduced to a minimum, that homestead rebuilding could be operated as soon as possible, that all of survivors could come back to the regular life and all of victims could sleep in peace. God bless you, my dear fellow-men. I will still pray for you, tear for you.
