UN Contributes $7 million for Victims of Chinese Quake

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon announced that up to $7 million will be released from the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) to support United Nations relief efforts in China.

Funds from the United Nation's Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) will be released to support United Nations relief efforts in the aftermath of Monday’s earthquake in China . The funds, up to $7 million, will be used by UN agencies, funds and programmes to assist with urgent relief efforts. “The United Nations stands ready to provide further support, as required, to the Government of China in its efforts to respond to the humanitarian needs caused by the disaster,” he added. Apparently, this is the worst earthquake to strike the country since quake in 1976 around the city of Tangshan, which killed 240,000 people. Over 100,000 people have been injured by the 12 May earthquake, and although 13,400 people have been rescued, more than 12,000 others remain trapped under the rubble. In addition, nearly one million houses were either destroyed or sustained heavy damage. Some of the hardest-hit areas are in mountainous regions, which are extremely difficult for rescue crews to access. The most urgently need supplies include: tents and body bags, along with medicine, ready-to-eat meals, blankets, clothes, and flashlights. The destruction of two facilities in the quake has resulted in sulphuric acid and liquid ammonia leaks. OCHA and the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) have offered their assistance to curb potential environmental damage. The UN World Food Programme (WFP) will purchase 1.6 million packages of ready-to-eat noodles – enough to feed 118,000 people for one week – for survivors. “This is a symbol of our solidarity with the people of China,” said the agency’s Executive Director Josette Sheeran. “We stand ready to help in any way.” The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said that it was responding to a request from the Chinese Government for specific supplies, such as tents, blankets and school kits, which will arrive within the next 48 hours. UNICEF Executive Director Ann M. Veneman voiced concern in a statement yesterday over schoolchildren who “were prominent victims of the quake, which struck during school hours and resulted in the collapse of a number of school buildings.” The UNICEF China bureau estimated that 12 million school-age children lived in Sichuan province, with 2 million of them in the worst-affected area. “We know how to make buildings more resistant to earthquakes, but this knowledge is still not yet well disseminated among decision-makers who enforce building codes for houses, schools and hospitals” said Salvano Briceño, Director of the UN International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (ISDR).