As aftershocks from the deadly May 12 earthquake continue to spread fear among survivors in the affected Sichuan Province in southwestern China, the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) is assisting survivors with food, mosquito nets, shelter materials, medical aid, and much needed counseling services.

ADRA emergency personnel working in the Sichuan Province have already distributed 7,500 tents, a donation worth US$213,200 [CHF 222.000]. made by the Xiamen Golden Triangle Company Ltd., a manufacturer of cooling towers, to assist with the shelter needs of 29,500 survivors. Xiamen Golden Triangle employees also donated 20 tons of rice and 3.33 tons of mung beans in food aid for the targeted survivors, which, combined with donations from ADRA International, the ADRA Asia regional office, ADRA China, and private donations, provided food for 12,000 survivors. Each basket contains food supplies including rice, mung beans, peanuts, oatmeal, and bottled water. ADRA network funding is also procuring and transporting bedding kits, mattresses, and blankets.

ADRA has also received a donation of ten large tents, which are currently being used as a tent school in Yinghua Township, in Shifang City, in the Sichuan Province. The tents will be used by student volunteers from Chinese universities offering counseling and hygiene classes for 600 primary school students in the region. The tents are valued at US$170,000 [CHF 177.000].

On May 27, an 18-member health team of physicians, nurses, and a counselor arrived from the Hong Kong Adventist Hospital and began work in Aba Tibetian and Qiang Prefecture, Sichuan Province. The team is providing first-aid, infection control, and psychological support to survivors, and is expected to remain on site for nine days. During this time the team will distribute 1.5 tons of medicines worth US$15,000 [CHF 15.600]. The total value of this medical intervention, supplied by the Hong Kong Adventist Hospital, is valued at US$56,500 [CHF 59.000].

In May 27, two aftershocks, measuring 5.4 and 5.7 on the Richter scale, shook the provinces of Sichuan and Shaanxi, injuring an additional 63 people and destroying 420,000 additional homes.

As the summer and rainy season draws near, survivors face the heightened risk of a full-blown epidemic. The World Health Organization (WHO) lists the following activities as health priorities in the quake region: treating the injured, monitoring and controlling the spread of infectious diseases, ensuring sufficient access to clean water and food, providing immediate and long-term mental health and psychosocial support, and reconstructing the health care system in the affected areas.

According to the Government of China the greatest needs are clean drinking water, food, medicines, medical equipment, psychosocial assistance, and protective items to prevent disease outbreaks.

The initial May 12 quake killed more than 67,000, left at least 20,000 missing, injured some 360,000, and displaced 5.47 million, according to recent government reports. The Sichuan earthquake struck southwestern China at 2:28 p.m. local time (6:28 a.m. GMT) and was felt as far as Beijing and Bangkok, Thailand. It is considered the worst earthquake since 1976 when more than 240,000 people died.

Rehabilitation efforts are expected to take at least three years, as several towns and villages will now have to be relocated.

ADRA is present in 125 countries, providing community development and emergency management without regard to political or religious association, age, gender, race, or ethnicity.