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"What else can I do?" has been the question on everyone's mind since the deadly quake hit Sichuan Province.

The 7-day search-and- rescue efforts have put more strain on people's nerves. Many Chinese spent the agonizing week following news on TV, on net, or glancing over newspapers on public transportation during rush hours. Even strangers exchanged information on the updated death toll and the latest outcome of rescue missions; cheered for every survival narrowly escaping hell; mourned each new death; and prayed for the strong lives still trapped in the debris. But hope is dimming as time is running out. People begin to wonder what they can do to help those who are still suffering.

People can be seen everywhere lining up to make donations. In many cities, blood banks have been reported up to saturation; and volunteers wishing to donate blood have to register and wait for to be notified. More and more people are eager to be involved in the rescue and relief work that they are becoming unsatisfied with the disaster-relief efforts made outside of the quake-ravaged areas; and volunteers are descending upon the worst-hit areas in growing numbers.

After all, only a few warm-hearted volunteers could access "the front lines of combating disaster" considering the complicated conditions and fear of potential calamity. More than 100,000 military troops, police forces and firefighters have trawled through rubble and buildings reduced to mangled slabs of concrete for any sign of life. Soldiers, their hands stained with blood from digging, have organized mass evacuations of survivors; and remain wary of aftershocks and secondary disasters including landslides and mudflows, and damage to reservoirs, dams, and water power stations, to avoid new casualties.

Although we may feel helpless staying far away from disaster-stricken areas, and the quake-hit regions are badly in need of helping hands, we understand that crowds do not always yield higher chances of success. In the face of disaster, professional rescue teams and rescuers with the required experience function more efficiently and effectively, as time will dictate life or death. Professional experience has gone into the 7-day search-and-rescue operations: from opening up blocked roads, restoring electricity and telecommunications, sterilization and epidemic prevention, to assessing the damages to dams and buildings.

Last Monday's earthquake, with a revised magnitude of 8.0, came stealthily, causing the untold loss and suffering of tens of thousands of people; and instantly pummeled several towns and villages to the ground. However, the tremors not only shocked the Chinese people; but also united them together as one against the disaster.

The nightmare of the seven days gone by will fade from the collective Chinese mind with time; but for those who survived the deadly shock, the specter of catastrophes could hover over the rest of their lives. So what can we do to help them? A lot!
We have learned from past experience that in the following months and even years after the quake, people traumatized by disaster could be overshadowed by fear or other disaster-induced mental disturbances. They have survived physical calamity, but their mental health requires attention to promptly help them resume a normal life as soon as possible. First think of the children orphaned in tremors and the elderly deprived of their loved ones; and then you will agree that there is much that has yet to be done and can be done.

The deadly quake also left a scene of grief and desolation that met the eye on every side. Everybody knows that restoration and reconstruction not only consume money and time; but also present a test of patience and perseverance to the Chinese laden with both current sorrows and the longings to rebuild a better future.

Our hearts will always accord to those of our disaster-hit fellow Chinese. Therefore, it is never too late to lend a helping hand, as there is a lot of work in the aftermath of disaster awaiting us; and there is much assistance we can render.

By People's Daily Online