学生四川大学说 - Current UW-SU Students say...

This comes from a current University of Washington student studying in Chengdu. This is only a section of his email but I think it might help explain to you what life in Chengdu is like right now. Also, I have no reason to believe that my trip will be postponed or delayed due to this crisis. However, I am certain that my stay in Chengdu will be personally effected by it.

"...Although numbers range greatly, some have said 200 people in Chengdu died. The epicenter of the quake was located fifty miles from Chengdu and much of the talk revolves around Wenquan where the number of casualties was highest. Structural damage here appears to be limited but people are still shaken up. Many people did not sleep in their homes last night—instead opting for their cars parked on the street, tents in parks, etc.

There seemed to be very few problems following the quake with communities banding together, watching one-another's kid, providing food, and most importantly emotional comfort. There was a couple riot police downtown today to ensure safety. Chengdu has had very few earthquakes in its history and for most people this was the first one they had experienced. Although the major earthquake came at about 2:30 PM yesterday, aftershocks have been rather regular continuing all through last night and we just had one as I write this a whole day later. Almost every store and restaurant is closed in the city today and it is likely school will be cancelled again tomorrow.

Thank you for expressing concern over the situation. Again, my friends and I are fine, however the extent of the damage here is great. Please extend your thoughts to those who have suffered here..."
- S. M.