Anthony
2. Worst Cold Wave in a Decade Causes Misery ............................ 55
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[CND, 01/22/98] Large parts of China are in the grips of the most severe
cold wavein the past ten years. The woes of the victims of the ZhangBei
quake, displaced by the January 10 earthquake that struck northeast of
Beijing, are particularly harsh, according to AFP reports on Tuesday. The
powerful quake, registering 6.2 on the Richter scale, struck approximately
220 kilometres from Beijing, leaving 12,000 injured, 1,200 of them
seriously.
Already the temperature has dropped to minus 35 degrees Celsius in the
ZhangBei district where 44,000 are either homeless or huddling in
inadequate shelters. The earthquake compromised the stability of an
additional 136,000 homes.
The Australian government has responded with an offering of humanitarian
aid--amounting to Australian $75,000--earmarked for direct emergency
relief for the displaced villagers. The money specifically is intended
for the reconstruction of destroyed homes and the daily needs of the
people, and will be administered by the UN Development Programme,
according to an announcement from the Australian Embassy in Beijing.
On Monday, the official Xinhua news agency admitted that tents provided
for the victims could not shield against the elements, so that 11,000
improvised houses have replaced the tents. "Rain and snowfall hampered
the smooth transport of goods,the most important part of the country's
relief endeavour," concluded Xinhua on Tuesday.
An extra 2,000 policemen have been sent for the maintenance of roadsigns,
snowclearing, other emergency work, and were in place to maintain order.
Xinhua concluded, "No criminal cases or serious traffic accidents have
happened since the 6.2 temblor," as reported by the AFP English Wire.
Beijing residents--where the temperature dropped to minus 14.2 degrees
Celsius on Saturday night--are also suffering. It is the lowest night
temperature since 1988, and did not rise more than minus 7.2 degrees
Celsius, on Sunday, again establishing the lowest daytime temperature in a
decade, according to the China Daily. On February 22, 1966, Beijing
registered its lowest official temperature at minus 27.4 degrees Celsius.
According to experts quoted in the China Daily, the present cold wave will
eventually yield to fine weather.
Donations totalling 20.77 million yuan has been sent the Chinese Red Cross
after a world-wide appeal for help.
The Hong Kong Red Cross received donations totaling 11.92 million yuan.
Countries such as Japan, Germany, France, Britain, and the United States,
also sent relief aid. (Sue BRUELL, Hua ZHAO)