Contribute to the efforts of the Yushu Earthquake Response team. Keep updated on the Yushu Earthquake Response team's efforts. Earthquake Information At 7:49 am on April 14, a magnitude 7.1 earthquake hit Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in western China. Its epicenter was about 30 miles outside of Jiegu, the prefectural seat which has a population of some estimate to be as high as 100,000. As of April 20, the death toll from the earthquake had passed 2,000, with over 12,000 people injured. Because so many of Jiegu’s buildings are constructed of mud and wood, between 70 and 90 percent of homes were destroyed. Yushu stands at an altitude of above 13,000 feet, and survivors are facing sleet, high winds, and below-freezing temperatures at night. Relief Efforts Several local NGOs have come together under the name of the Yushu Earthquake Response (YER) team to lead the NGO relief effort in Yushu. The Yushu Earthquake Response team has agreed to pool relief resources and, along with disaster relief specialists, determine jointly how best to distribute them to those in most need. They expect their major focus to be on remote and difficult-to-reach poor villages scattered throughout the prefecture as well as community organizing within the disaster region. | 
