 A Message from GRCI Director Anne Thurston "Since the tragic earthquake that struck the town of Jiegu in Yushu prefecture, Qinghai province during the early morning hours of April 14, the Grassroots China Initiative has received many inquiries about the situation of our friends in Jiegu and about how to aid in the relief effort. We hope that you will contribute." Read More Yushu Earthquake 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 the prefectural seat of Jiegu. 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. Read More How to Contribute There are several ways to contribute to grassroots NGOs during the immediate relief effort. A team of local NGOs called the Yushu Earthquake Response (YER) team is aiding in the relief effort. Another possibility is to donate to the Tibetan Village Project, which is able to access relief funding and is getting food and supplies to the Yushu Earthquake Response team. Read More Yushu Prefecture
Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture is located over 500 miles (but a 12-16 hour drive) southwest of Xining, Qinghai Province. The prefecture has an average elevation of 13,000 feet and covers an area larger than Nepal. Conditions are particularly difficult during the long, harsh winters, when temperatures are often well below zero. Some 97 percent of its 270,000 people are Tibetan—the largest concentration of Tibetans anywhere in China. Read More Yushu Earthquake Updates Here is the daily update from the Yushu Earthquake Response (YER) team. For previous updates, please visit our Yushu Earthquake Updates page. ***Note (May 24): The Yushu Earthquake Response team is experiencing technical difficulties updating the site. They will resume updates as soon as possible. May 8  "The YER supply distribution team continued to pack relief materials into YER bags. The team organized 210 bags in a short time, each containing: a T-shirt, a towel, a spoon, a water ladle, chopsticks, a stainless steel cup, a lunch box, a wash basin, a teapot, an aluminum pot, and a cooking pan. The team released the goods at two locations: Daimo Road (81 families) and Xin Jian Road (129 families) in Dangdai Village in Jiegu Town.
"In addition, Ha Xiu Temple in Hau Xiu Township received 100 bags of barley, 50 bags of tsampa, 50 boxes of noodles and 4 bags of butter."
For more information about the Yushu earthquake, please check our Yushu Earthquake Updates page for daily updates from the Yushu Earthquake Response team. For a Chinese source of pictures of the earthquake area and those affected by it, please click here.
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