Yushu, you are not alone

It was already noon on April 15 and in Dahongmen Freight Station in Beijing, Yang Ruisheng, a porter, was tightly holding a 3-meter-long rope. No sooner had he and another two fellow workers closed the last carriage"s door than the truck left for Qinghai"s Yushu County, the earthquake-hit area. This was the first exclusive disaster relief truck to Yushu and it carried donated materials.

"After the first truck was sent out, I relaxed a little," said Yang. He told reporters that he comes from Shandong Province and he is straightforward and he easily feels anxious. He does not like being lazy in his work. During the five years since he became a porter, he cannot remember how many times he had worked through the night but he knows that this kind of urgent work must be due to some important event. "The more urgent the event is, the quicker I do the job."

Yang was surprised with the efficiency in Beijing, but he has never been able to figure out, from the sleet and snowstorms that hit Southern China to the Wenchuan Earthquake, to the drought disaster in southwestern China and to the Qinghai Earthquake, how so many donated goods are able to be assembled here within a few hours.

"These disaster relief materials are available immediately and they are all from citizens" donations. Beijing and its 18 districts and counties all have exclusive donation management centers and furthermore, more than 4000 donation points are set up in the communities, streets, schools, national organizations and institutes. Donation has become a part of social morality and one of the signs of a perfect system," said Wu Shimin, director general of Beijing Municipal Civil Affairs Bureau.

Efficiency comes from a consciousness in regards to service, the style of work, the rules and regulations as well as the loving hearts of the service people.

As early as 2007, Beijing had established an emergency aid response mechanism. Regardless of where there are difficulties, if the response status reaches level-3 or above, the relief mechanism will be begun at once. From the sleet and snowstorms that hit Southern China and the Wenchuan Earthquake to the drought in southwestern China and the Qinghai earthquake, Beijing has gathered experience in coping with disasters quickly.

"When Yushu was hit by the earthquake on the morning of April 14, an earthquake relief research topic on how to aid the people in the disaster area was added to that afternoon"s municipal standing committee agenda." Hou Yulan, vice secretary general of Beijing Municipal Government, said that as China"s capital, Beijing is a strong supporter of the people of the nation. It must respond immediately and quickly when the disaster occurs to express its concern and help the disaster area work through the difficulties.

Within just a few hours, all kinds of decisions were made, which included donating 10 million yuan, allocating 10,000 tents, 20,000 folding beds and 100,000 cotton-padded clothes and quilts, sending more than 20 rescue vehicles, including a sport-utility emergency vehicle that looks like a Hummer, and dispatching medical experts from Beijing to the disaster area. In the meantime, the money, materials and equipment donated by people from all walks of life will also be contributed.

A difficult task, though all will provide support. In order to ensure the smooth arrival of the goods and personnel, the relevant departments in Beijing went into action: the civil administration department allocated disaster relief materials and dispatched personnel as soon as possible, the railway department simplified the transport procedures and many doctors and nurses who were not chosen to accompany the rescue personnel actively applied to go to the disaster area to help however they could.

Disaster is merciless but the world is full of love. With loving hearts and best wishes, the people in Beijing try their best to help the disaster-stricken area. According to sources, the money collected in Beijing has been sent out, the materials worth of more than 30 million yuan will be delivered to the disaster area in two batches and the medical rescue team has also been sent to Yushu in two batches on April 15. Beijing will closely follow the development of the situation of the disaster area and keep informed of the material needs of the affected area in order to continue to prepare the disaster relief materials and support the area when needed.