Aftershocks, Threat of Flooding Pose Risk to China Quake Survivors and Ongoing Relief Work
-- World Vision's distributions continuing, with safety of survivors and staff a priority -- Aid agency helping children cope with after shocks by running disaster preparedness activities in open area HONG KONG, May 29 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Aid workers and quake survivors are making safety a priority in China's quake-stricken Sichuan Province, where aftershocks, flooding and landslides continue to frighten people and pose risks to relief operations for agencies such as World Vision.
To better equip children to cope with the on-going stress of aftershocks, World Vision has been running disaster preparedness activities in open areas. These activities help children understand how to identify risks and how they can better protect themselves during earthquakes, flooding and other such natural disasters. World Vision aid workers are continuing to distribute critical shelter materials and other assistance to survivors, including tents, quilts, tarpaulins and rice, but are working under challenging conditions.
"We work with communities and together face the same dangers. It is terrifying when the earth buckles due to an aftershock or when we have to evacuate areas where we are doing distributions due to threats of flooding," said Andrew Lok, a World Vision aid worker in Qingchuan County. "Last week a landslide blocked the road we were using to deliver our emergency supplies, furthering the challenge of getting aid through," he said. Aftershocks in China's Qingchuan County have not caused damage to World Vision's projects and distributions or injury to any staff working in aftershock areas. However, damage to homes has been reported by Xinhua news with more than 420,000 houses known to have collapsed in the area. The needs in Sichuan Province remain great, especially for temporary shelter. More than 45.6 million people have been affected and 5.2 million made homeless, according to government reports. "We will continue to set up distribution sites in tented areas, safe from unstable buildings and falling debris to minimize risk to our staff," Mr. Lok continued. "We've asked our workers going into dangerous areas to wear safety helmets and work in groups of 5 or 6," he said. As the number of dead and missing from the China earthquake reaches 88,000 people, the Christian aid agency plans to reach 350,000 survivors with immediate and long-term assistance over the next three years. Emergency and rehabilitation work will continue in Shifang and Mianzhu in Deyang City; and in Qingchuan, Yuanba, and Jiange in Guangyang City. The public can help by visiting www.worldvision.org or calling 1.888.56.CHILD. World Vision is a Christian humanitarian organization dedicated to working with children, families and their communities worldwide to reach their full potential by tackling the causes of poverty and injustice. Visit www.worldvision.org/press. Expert interviews, survivor stories and photographs from Sichuan Province
CONTACT: Rachel Wolff, +1-253-394-2214, rwolff@worldvison.org, or Casey Web Site: http://www.worldvision.org/
2008-05-29 18:49:08 0373419 PRNEWSWIRE
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