Losing her home was one of the most devastating impacts of China’s May 12 earthquake for Tanxinqun. Her apartment building in the town of Hanwang was partially destroyed by the quake, and deemed unsafe to inhabit. She simply had nowhere to go.

She tried building a tent, but it was small, unstable, and leaked when it rained. With so many of her friends and neighbors also homeless, it was uncertain when Tanxinqun and her 17-year-old son would find adequate shelter.

Thanks to Samaritan’s Purse, the family is now living in a sturdy shelter that protects them from the weather. The shelter was built using a wooden frame and covered with heavy-duty plastic sheeting. The plastic is water resistant and can last up to two years.

In Tanxinqun’s village, 150 temporary structures have been built with Samaritan's Purse materials.

Since the earthquake, we have provided 1,140 rolls of heavy-duty plastic sheeting and trained soldiers and civilians to use it to build emergency housing for more than 3,000 families.

“I really thank the American people for donating these shelters to provide a home for me,” Tanxinqun said. “Even though it is only temporary, it is a home I can live in right now.”

Samaritan’s Purse has sent more than 90 tons of relief supplies to China to help people like Tanxinqun who were devastated by the quake. In addition to the shelter material, we also provided 16,000 blankets, 8,000 hygiene kits, and other household essentials.

We shipped and installed 12 high-capacity water filtration units in the quake zone. Each unit is capable of supplying 10,000 gallons of clean water each day. As we installed the units, we also trained community members to operate and maintain them and supplied manuals translated to Chinese.

How Samaritan’s Purse is helping:

WATER:

We have installed 12 community water systems that each can filter 10,000 gallons a day, enough for 240,000 people to drink a half gallon a day. We have set up 200 tanks to dispense clean water in widespread villages and camps.

SHELTER:

We provided 1,140 rolls of heavy-duty plastic sheeting and trained soldiers and civilians to use it to build emergency housing for over 3,000 families. We also provided 16,000 blankets, 8,000 hygiene kits, and other household essentials.

AIRLIFT:

We chartered a 747 cargo jet to deliver 90 tons of emergency supplies. The flight, which left Charlotte on May 23 and arrived in Chengdu, China, on May 24, was the first privately chartered earthquake relief flight from the U.S., and the first 747 cargo jet ever to land in Chengdu. The cargo filled 28 truckloads.

How you can help:

PRAY:

• For earthquake survivors who are injured, homeless, or grieving.

• For Chinese churches and Christians as they reach out as neighbors to those who are in need.

• For the Samaritan's Purse team in China as they continue the relief work.

• For the safe delivery of emergency relief supplies to earthquake-devastated areas.

GIVE:

To support our ministry to earthquake victims, please click here to donate.

Samaritan's Purse , China , Emergency Relief , A Place to Live