Thousands of People Evacuated in China

In China, 200,000 people were evacuated by early Saturday to safer places due to a lake formed by the recent earthquake threatening to breach its dam. Hundred of Chinese troops have been working to drain Tangjashan Lake in Sichuan province. The lake was formed when a hillside plunged into a river valley during the earthquake on May 12^th that killed 68,977 people and left 17,974 missing, according to most recent updates.

A runoff channel has been recently completed and water is expected to be discharged between Sunday and Tuesday. Another 1.3 million people in the area will be evacuated if the barrier of the lake fully opens and floods the area.

Evacuation Warnings in China

It is possible that more than one million people might have to evacuate dozens of villages in a Sichuan province if the lake bursts and floods the area due to the recent earthquake. The lake has a wall of debris that is clogging a river. On Saturday, officials will start a three-day drill that will test the government communications systems to make sure that residents in the valley can hear future evacuation orders.

So far, it is estimated that 68,858 people were killed in the earthquake and there are 18,618 people that are missing. The earthquake left 5 million people homeless and many people were separated from their families.

China Changes One-Child Policy Due to Earthquake

China has decided to change its one-child policy to exempt the families with a child killed, severely injured, or disabled in the country’s recent earthquake. The families can get a certificate to have another child.

On May 12th of this year, there was a devastating earthquake that killed 65,000 people and left more than 23,000 people missing. There were many children that were killed and injured in the disaster. Usually, having more than one child is illegal in China and families that have more than one child are punished by having to pay fines. If the families’ legally born child is killed and the family only has an illegally born child under the age of 18, then that child can be registered as a legal child. This is a positive thing because it gives the child that was once illegal the same rights as a legal citizen and nine years of compulsory education.

China started the one-child policy in the late 1970s to control China’s very large population and to provide better education and health care. There were already certain exceptions for ethnic groups, rural families, and families where both parents are only children. In some parts of rural China, most families are allowed to have a second child, especially if the first child is a girl.

Many people in China have shown interest in adopting children that have become orphans due to the earthquake. There are not any limitations to the number of orphans that a family can adopt. The adoptions and the future birth to a family that adopts an orphan is exempt from the one-child policy as the earthquake left 4,000 children to become orphans. Most of the orphans will be sent to live with other family members.

Earthquake and Tsunami Hit Indonesia

It is reported that a strong earthquake hit Indonesia this past Wednesday and caused a tsunami to hit the town of Padang. The quake even caused tall buildings to sway and the tsunami caused a 9 foot tall wave to fall on Padang about 20 minutes after the quake. One person was killed and dozens were injured. Several buildings were damaged and a car showroom collapsed. Some people in Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand also felt the quake. When the quake hit a lot of people went to the inland to be safer.