My name is Ma Manai, I am 74 years old this year, and I am a villager in Kangjiao Village, Jishishan County, Linxia Prefecture, Gansu Province.
On 1 May, I spent five months in the resettlement site. As winter turned to spring, our homes began to be rebuilt, and in a few months, we were able to move back to our homes.
On December 18, 2023, a sudden earthquake caused the village to disappear and the house collapsed, but fortunately, the people were still there.
It was a cold day, and when the earthquake came, my wife and I were sleeping, and there was a "boom", and it was dark in front of me, and the whole wall fell down, pressing down on my left half of my body. All of a sudden, I also reacted to the earthquake.
I tried to sit up, but it didn't work. I don't know how long it took, but I heard someone coming, calling out my name, Ma Manai, and I quickly tapped on the stone next to me, making a constant sound.
The person who came was the neighbor next door, they dragged me out, carried me to the ambulance, and pulled me to the hospital in Linxia Prefecture, where the doctor said that I had multiple fractures in my pelvis, "The conditions in the state are limited, and when the rescue car here is evenly opened, I will send you to the big hospital in the province." ”
On December 19, 2023, I was sent to the First Hospital of Lanzhou University, and the situation seemed to be worse, and I still had to spend a lot of money every day, to be honest, I was really hesitant at that moment. Looking at my hesitant eyes, the doctor told me, "Old man, don't worry, all the treatment during the disaster is covered by the government, and the government will pay for the treatment, so you can rest assured that you will be treated here!" ”
On April 23, the self-narrator Ma Ma was interviewed. Photo by Chen Hao
On January 2, 2024, I was finally discharged from the hospital, and my son took me back to the resettlement site, which has become our temporary "home".
The resettlement site is built on a flat, open lot, with rows of white shackle houses standing in the center, and a few tents in the surrounding clearing. The girl said, "There are people who come to help us, including electricity, water conservancy, and construction workers, as well as cadres at all levels from counties, townships, and villages. ”
My son, who was working outside the home, also came back and said that he would build a house for the family before going out. He told me that the workers had been working day and night to get out of this large board house, and it took a total of seven days to see them every day.
We stopped in front of Gate 109 and opened the door, and my wife, son, daughter-in-law, daughter, son-in-law, grandson, granddaughter, the whole family was neatly there, with mattresses and heaters. It was close to minus 20 degrees outside, and the house was warm, and my wife told me, "The government has given us coal, so that we can burn it with peace of mind, and we can still receive it when we run out." ”
Overlooking the resettlement site in Kangjiao Village, rows of white resettlement houses are built on a flat and open space. Photo by Chen Hao
The day after I returned home, Fan Shilian, the village doctor from our village, came to see me and brought me some commonly used medicines. She told me, "The state has arranged a lot of medical teams to come down, including Beijing and Shanghai, and let them show you again in the next two days!" ”
"Not long after the earthquake, the People's Liberation Army (PLA) came, along with various rescue teams and medical teams, who went from house to house day and night to search for and search for fear of leaving any of the villagers buried under the rubble." The daughter said that they arrived so quickly, and not long after dawn, the affected villagers moved into tents in the resettlement site, less than 10 hours before the earthquake struck. They also sent cotton clothes, quilts, instant noodles, and hot water...... During that time, everyone lived as a family.
Every festival, every household is full of food and use, some are bought from the market not far away, and some are specially distributed by the government to the big guys, and they are piled up high.
Although the home is a temporary home, the days are their own and cannot be improvised.
On Eid al-Fitr, we made hand-picked lamb and looked at the neat family in front of us, and there was nothing more joyful. During the festival, several party members and cadres of the village committee do not rest, they are all half-grown children, which is really not easy.
Inside the resettlement site in Kangjiao Village, villagers are basking in the sun and chatting outside, and excavators in the distance are rebuilding. Photo by Chen Hao
After the Chinese New Year, the ice in the river began to melt, the weather became warmer day by day, and families were waiting for the news of the start of reconstruction.
In mid-to-late February, near the resettlement site, the roar of loaders and excavators was almost uninterrupted, and the villagers said that they were specially invited by the county to organize free skills training for the village, including excavators, loaders, and electric welding.
Volunteer teams have also been organized in the resettlement sites, mainly composed of the elderly, weak women and children, who are responsible for maintaining hygiene and distributing relevant supplies.
The notice of rebuilding the house came quickly, and our house was so badly damaged that it could no longer be repaired by reinforcement and other means, so we had to rebuild it on the same site. In Kangjiao Village, three-quarters of the houses are in the same situation as our family.
In order to help the big guy rebuild, the government has given subsidies to each household and provided loans, for fear that everyone will be impoverished and returned to poverty due to the disaster. Those who don't want to rebuild on the original site can still live in a house built by the government, and they are also given subsidies and loans.
In addition, the government gives 23 yuan per person per day6 to subsidize the basic livelihood of the affected residents. In just these two days, my wife, son, daughter-in-law, and two grandsons, a total of 6 people's subsidies have arrived, a total of 12,744 yuan, which is three months.
Looking at the money in the account, I really have mixed feelings in my heart. When natural disasters came, it was the party and the government that stood in front of us and held up the people affected by the disaster.
The party and the government have helped us too much, and we can't sit at home and wait, rebuild when the house collapses, replant when the crops are destroyed, and find a way to get back up!
When I first came back, I couldn't stand up, I couldn't take care of myself, thanks to the care of my wife and daughter, now I can not only stand up, but also walk on crutches, and the whole person is more energetic. Recently, I also went back to the village with my son, daughter-in-law, and wife to rebuild my home.
Several of the family's houses collapsed, and the broken bricks and tiles were quickly cleared, and the foundations, pouring, and roofing began to be laid again...... During the entire May Day holiday, no one was idle, everyone worked from sunrise to sunset, and the homes destroyed by the earthquake were coming back little by little.
Because of lung problems, I always wore a drainage bag.
Two days ago, my son took me to the hospital for a follow-up, and after the reimbursement, I found that I needed to pay less than one-tenth of what I needed. The doctor said that I may need to have a minor operation later, and I don't have to worry about the cost, because the government has a special medical assistance policy for the affected people. "Don't worry, the family is busy these days, and they are busy rebuilding in the village, and I will go back when the house is built!"
When I was buried in the ground, I thought my life was over. Who would have thought that I was rescued, that the party and the government had cured me of my illness, and that I could now be reunited with my children, and that I would have to live well and live another twenty or thirty years to be considered complete.