Jottings from EO reporters from the disaster areas

■ Searching for the Right Homes for Quake Victims
Public empathy has led to swelling interest in adopting quake orphans, yet questions of one-child policy, and the pre and post adoptive assessment remain. 06-03

■ Rebuilding Their Spiritual Homes
Psychology specialists and volunteer rush to aid earthquake victims, uncovering stories of children grappling with painful memories and pining for lost loved ones. 06-02

■ China Gets Ready to Drain the Most Dangerous
Quake Lake
The exercise to drain the likely to burst Tangjiashan landslide-dammed lake has entered its final countdown as some 200,000 living downstreams were evacuated on May 30. 05-31

■ The Politics of Donations
With increasing public scrutiny over corporate donations for
the Sichuan earthquake, how much and what kind of donation is becoming a difficult question to answer for Chinese
businesses. 05-30

■ Raising Roofs for Five Million Homeless
Chinese policymakers have split up the monumental task of
building one million transitional homes over the next three
months. 05-29 

■ Life in a Shelter for Quake Victims
A stadium once called the white elephant is now the home to tens of thousands of quake victims. The EO check on those taking shelter at Mianyang Jiuzhou Stadium. 05-28

■ Seven Sins for the Post-Quake Era
Seven types of crimes in quake-hit zones will be treated high-handedly to ensure public security in an already traumatized society after the May 12 earthquake in Sichuan. 05-28

■ Public Demands for Transparency for Quake
Donations
Donations for Sichuan earthquake victims have rolled into tens of billions of yuan, sparking public concern over fund usage and intensifying calls for transparency. 05-27

■ Banks Told to Write Off Disaster Zone Loans as Bad
Debts
The Chinese government has asked commercial banks to
waive loans repayment for qualified quake victims to ease
public suffering. Banks, however, wish to stick to market
mechanism. 05-26

■ Finance Ministry to Redo Budget After Quake
As government spending and reserve funds adapt to fulfill the needs of rebuilding quake-hit areas, the Finance Ministry is taking a second look at the 2008 budget. 05-26

■ Sichuan Reels from 6.4-magnitude aftershock
A 6.4-magnitude aftershock hit Sichuan Sunday, the
strongest since the main quake about two weeks ago. While troops rush to reach rising barrier lake, the risk of flooding
has only increased. 05-25

■ Satellite Photos of Dammed-lakes Show Mounting
Danger in Sichuan
Satellite photos obtained by the EO show how lakes dammed by the landslides in Sichuan are posing a growing threat to populations in areas that could be flooded. 05-23

■ Teams Work to Defuse Water Timebomb in Quake-
hit Areas 
While teams work to repair damaged infrastructure and water projects, evacuation exercises have begun to prepare for
flooding if dammed-lakes burst their banks 05-22

■ Trading Froze for 66 Disaster-struck Companies 
 From TV channels to movie theaters to gaming websites,
entertainment is being shut down in order to pay respect to
those lost in the earthquake. 05-22

■ Chinese Solidarity to Stay Off Amusement
From TV channels to movie theaters to gaming websites,
entertainment is being shut down in order to pay respect to
those lost in the earthquake. 05-21

■ Wenchuan Dodges a Blow; Wenxian Braces for
Aftershock
Early public announcements enabled Wenchuan residents to sidestep aftershock danger by relocating to safer ground.
Meanwhile, nearby Wenxian in Gansu province still awaits its own. 05-21

■ Aftershock Panic in Gansu
Contradictory official statements on whether or not strong
aftershock would hit Gansu province have left the public
hanging in uncertainties. 05-20 

■ Yinxing: Rotting Away
An appeal letter for aid from one of the ten villages - Yinxing - where rescue efforts have yet to arrive spoke of despair and
urgent medical needs. 05-20

■ Wenchuan: The Winds of Grief
As the county at the earthquake epicenter took a moment off from recovery efforts to pay respect to the quake victims,
sounds of siren and car honks competed with howling winds. 05-19

■ China Comes to a standstill at 14:28
In an overwhelming display of hope and mourning, Chinese
held a moment of silent to recognize the victims of the
Sichuan earthquake. 05-19

■ Beichuan: Misery Between Mountains
As the hills threathened to cave in when the frequency of aftershocks increased, rescuers reluctantly left behind a crying
child pinned under dead bodies and debris, praying that she would still be alive the next day. 05-16

■ A Trek to The Epicenter
EO reporters have trekked over three hours trying to reach
Wenchuan, the epicenter of the May 12 earthquake. 05-14

■ The Sky Weeps for Sichuan
Hours after the 7.8-magnitude earthquake hit Sichuan, the
sky opened up and poured, adding obstacles to the rescue
work. 05-13

■ Marked the Day: 5.12
EO reporters have rushed down to Chengdu hours after a 7.8-magnitude (revised to magnitude 8 on the Richter scale on
May 18) earthquake hit Sichuan. Shock and disbelief filled
the air. 05-12

Editorial, commentary, views from the public and more ...
■ Foreign Views on China Earthquake Responses
The collapses of public buildings, like schools, during earthquake are avoidable if more investment had been made in structural design and construction material. 05-23

■ For One in Fifty-thousand
Wen Zhou reflects upon pushing past the window of opportunity for rescuing trapped victims, and on further opening up of the flow of information. 05-19  

■ Why Are Schools Crumbling Like Sand Houses?
The May 12 earthquake obliterated schools and buried students under debris while government buildings remained intact. Why are the schools so fragile? 05-15