Memory at One Year after Sichuan Earthquake that Killed 100 Thousand People

It was exactly one year ago the ground shook wildly for more than 1 minute, kind of stopped for a breather, then another wave…it felt much longer when I, my 4 and 5 year old sons, my wife and her parents were on 18th floor in Xinanmen area of city Chengdo, some 50-100 miles from the center. All I was thinking was that this would stop, another 5 seconds and it would stop. I didn’t wake up the kids, who were too tired from playing all day and so deep in sleep to wake up amid the violent shaking.

Flash back:
32 years ago as a young boy myself I was waken up by the thud from my bike's falling on the wooden floor during the infamous Tangshan earthquake of similar strength as the Sichuan quake, which killed 200-400 thousand people within 45 seconds.

15 years ago I was not asleep when a ~6 quake shook L.A.

I seemed to be close to where the actions are for most quakes and such things, and of course 20 years ago, in the Tiananmen square where bullets were flying as close as 20 yards away.

Back to reality:
The ground was till moving, the building tilting, noise from the street became a loud roar even to people up on 18th floor. All phone lines were dead, honestly, this time I did not feel the threat of life, not even for one second. It could be the times I have experienced this, or it could simply be that I refused to think that now that I had my family, my responsibilities to them and to my company, my employees, and my goals still to be reached. No, not now, not yet.

The following 4 days we stayed in the same city, witnessed the desperation, heard the horrible news from 24 hour TV, and saddened to learn that tens of thousands of school children were gone. I went on to Nanjing before the airport was taken over by cargo planes and finished my plan of teaching at Nanjing Medical University where I was appointed a visiting professor. It was all but an experience for me, but for those who did not get to move ever again from that minute on 5.12, it concluded their journey in this world.

There is nothing that can ease the pain their surviving families must be suffering right this moment, exactly a year after.

May peace be with them.

One Alleler
www.allelebiotech.com