chengdu earthquake gets worse

Dujiangyan has been hit with tragedy. 900 schoolchildren are believed to be buried under their schoolhouse when it collapsed. DJY is 56km north of chengdu, making it less than 50km from the epicenter.

updates on Chengdu earthquake

we just experienced another tremor at 710pm. the locals are trying to drive out of the city, but most of the roads out are jammed-packed with cars. Cars are parked near the highways west, south and north out of the city, but they are not moving due to the traffic jams. Many people have taken advantage of the situation to play cards and socialize in parks. Although there is still a nervous tension in the air, Chengdunese are trying to enjoy the surprise day off from work. The recent tremor sent people scattering a bit and conversation picked up, but the city is very calm.

Many groups are congregating around radios and listening to the news. The news is reminding people to stay outdoors for the time being, but to return home by nightfall. There is little or no damage in Chengdu, but the news is reporting the deaths in Chongqing. Chengdu, being a flat area in a basin, seems to have escaped being damaged. Nowhere within the 3rd ring road is any serious damage visible. Chongqing and Mianyang are mountainous areas and Chongqing in particular is a sprawling city with many slums and sub-standard buildings.

shaky chach

its all good everybody. the buildings shook for about 5 minutes. there was an aftershock 20 mins later and all of the buildings withstood the damage. All the locals are out in the streets chillin on the curbs or sittin in circles. radios are letting people know that all is good. the quake's epicenter was 100km north of here in Wenchuan in the tibetan area of Aba -- it was felt all over asia, from beijing all the way down to bangkok ...

here are some pics. mad love

earthquake hits the DU!

i was in the middle of a shave when an earthquake hit and the whole neighborhood spilled out onto the street. here is a pic of my mug. i will have more pics up soon i hope. i learned that standing in the doorway is a decent way to "survive" earthquakes ... the buildings are still shaking