Quake relief unprecedented, but volunteers not always helpful

(Ecns.cn) -- Another disaster has struck China, and at a vulnerable moment, as the country's sense of public safety has already been shaken by a new strain of bird flu.

Early Saturday morning, the city of Ya'an in Sichuan province was jolted by a 7.0-magnitude earthquake, leaving nearly 200 people dead, more than 11,000 injured and tens of thousands homeless.

Within hours, volunteer rescue teams, charitable societies and civic-minded individuals responded to the disaster with amazing speed.

Guo Liuyan, an employee at a real estate enterprise in Chongqing, led a mission Saturday to deliver three tons of medicine and two tons of jackscrews to the region. The relief supplies, donated by a Shanghai-based medicine company, arrived at Chongqing airport less than ten hours after the disaster struck.

In the thirty hours after the earthquake, tons of relief supplies including tents, drinkable water, food and medicine were rushed to disaster zones through non-governmental channels; financial contributions and blood donations also surged, according to Xinhua.

The power of the microblog has demonstrated the speed at which donations have been pouring in, particularly in response to an appeal by actor Jet Li. In just 14 hours, Li's One Foundation received more than 29 million yuan (US$4.6 million), according to Nandu.com.

Celebrities like Pan Shiyi and Ren Zhiqiang, who have millions of microblog fans, have also been helpful in reposting valuable information.

The non-governmental relief effort, with its wide-reaching participation, prompt action and effectiveness, shows how communications have improved, as well as a higher sense of social responsibility among the public, said Wang Shaoyu, an expert on public safety and risk management.

The country can respond faster and more reasonably to disasters compared to five years ago, when an earthquake killed more than 60,000 people in Sichuan and neighboring areas, Xinhua said.

In one example, a state-level medical rescue team with five ambulances, four tents, 48 workers and medical equipment was mobilized in less than two hours after the quake. Li Zengchun, the head of the team, said the Wenchuan earthquake left residents and government officials better prepared.

"China's emergency response system for disasters has made great progress since then," said Teng Wuxiao, a professor at the Urban Public Security Research Center at Shanghai Fudan University.

Volunteers also flocked to the disaster area over the weekend. By 3:30 on Sunday afternoon, nearly 6,000 of them were on the frontline offering to help, according to the Global Times.

The work is hazardous. A 32-year-old named Wang Ce, a regional sales manager in Chengdu, was killed by a falling rock Monday afternoon as she transported relief supplies to victims in Lushan county.

Despite their enthusiasm, volunteers have become a controversial issue. Most zones near the epicenter -- where food, water, electricity and telecommunications are scarce -- have been cut off by damaged roads, which are further hindered by the presence of private cars.

Ambulances and military trucks piled high with supplies have waited in long lines, and some have been forced to turn back and try other routes when roads are impassable.

The Sichuan transportation radio channel has repeatedly appealed to private cars to stay away from roads leading to Lushan.

Meanwhile, volunteers may have kept a visual presence in the quake-hit areas, but, lacking guidance, many have done nothing more than help soldiers erect tents.

He Jinghu, who is in charge of volunteers in Longmen village, said, "We have nearly 300 volunteers. Many of them are university students, so I persuaded them to turn back for safety reasons."

Han Han, a popular writer who volunteered after the Wenchuan earthquake, wrote that the help provided by volunteers may actually hamper rescue efforts. "Volunteers should leave the job to relief workers in the first few days after the disaster," he wrote.

All regions, departments, units and organizations should not organize rescue initiatives on their own, and the State Council General Office will coordinate and arrange the work if necessary, the office said in a circular on Sunday.

It also advised all non-emergency personnel, volunteers and tourists to stay away from the affected areas.

"China needs a mechanism to decide how, when, and where to allocate rescue workers and relief goods when dealing with different types and levels of disasters," said Wang Shaoyu. "The government should also set emergency treatment standards for volunteers."

   Special report:

   7.0-magnitude earthquake jolts Ya'an, Sichuan