We’ve already lost track of which day it is, and each day seems to melt into one large swirl of an experience. But today was a day that none of us will forget. (more…)

After difficulties winding through mountainous terrain, we finally arrived in SuXianLing, in Chenzhou this morning.  Lack of daily basic essentials is a stark reality for the residents of SuXianLing, in comparison to their city-dwelling neighbours and what media coverage has shown.  Damage to homes and losses from agriculture is a burden entirely carried by the locals — the notion of insurance and compensation do not exist in these parts of the country.  They had no water supply, no electricity and no machines or equipment, so they totally depended on their own hands to clear the roads.  The impact of the snow disaster here is certainly not recoverable immediately, but will require the combined strength of the local residents over a long period of time to return to their previous state.  What we saw and learnt from being here has made us realise how painful and hard the coming days, months and year will be for the locals. (more…)

You may hear media reports about electricity being “restored to Chenzhou.” Some downtown areas of Chenzhou have had some restoration of electricity –Wal-Mart in Chenzhou has power as well as some other large stores and buildings. Last night, we observed a few restaurants open and a few residential areas with lights on. We know the government has been working quite furiously to try and restore power. Overall, however, the city appeared quite dark to us – as if little had changed. Still only two hotels have electricity and my half of the relief team spent the night in a hotel without power (quite cold!!). From our perspective on the ground, it sure feels like this is day #15 without power in Chenzhou. (more…)

Since arriving in Chenzhou, we have seen the damage and heard the news, and both are shocking.  Early estimates say US$7 billion damages, not counting the losses of businesses and farms.  We got to see some of the disaster areas, and it’s worse than we thought.  I just found out, and was shocked, that there’s no NGO here, no other relief crews besides local government.  They don’t even have enough people to remove fallen trees from the roads.

(more…)