The Day the Earth Moved
(Photos Collected)

People are shocked by how weak life could be after the quake.
People have learned the anger and lesson from earth.
At the same time we mourn the sorrow,
We realize how important it is to
~ cherish ~

- 1:47 AM (1747 GMT Monday)
- The most violent thing imaginable
- The strongest tremor to hit the island in more than a decade
A 7.6 magnitude quake struck Taiwan, caused more than 2,000 people killed, 8,500 injured, 100,000 were made temporarily homeless, and 6,000 buildings were wrecked.
Most of the victims were found in the central and south city of Taichung and nearby Nantou. In the capital Taipei (Northern Taiwan), 2 main buildings collapsed and dozens died after a 12-story hotel slid off its foundation.

Aftershocks
Many thousands of aftershocks have been recorded in the weeks since. Even after a month since Taiwan's devastating earthquake, the island is still on shaky ground. This sent panicked residents running into the streets, staying in the tents.

Worldwide Impact
It will scant comfort to those who lost relatives and property in the earthquake, but Taiwan's pain was briefly felt around the world. An aftershock was even felt on stock exchanges worldwide. (That turned out to be a overreaction : as soon as the island's electricity is restored, the electronic factories are expected to be back in business. ) Taiwan's high-tech companies build 10 percents of the world chips and 80 percents of the motherboards used to run personal computers. September 21 quake caused an estimated $320 million in losses to microchip makers at the industrial park in the northern city of Hsinchu.
Most of the damages were caused by a blackout that halted production for several days. It took about 10 or 11 days to get back to pre-quake levels. Most of the damage were covered by insurance.

Bouncing Back Soon
After the quake, Taiwanese people are surprised to find out the warmth and strength deep in heart. Needing materials are collected unexpectedly fast; number of volunteers grows and grows, from prominent businessmen to poor farmers, from office clerks to students and house wives; donations coming from different levels of the nation. It touches the hearts of not only Taiwan people but the rescue teams from different countries.
Refugees say Tzu Chi, the biggest Buddhist group and other private groups have carried most of the burden for getting them necessary aid supplies. These groups are especially important because Taiwan is not a member of the United Nations and can't get help from U.N. groups. China, a permanent member of the Security Council, claims sovereignty over Taiwan and refuses to allow independent U.N. representation for it.
The relief efforts was mobilized with impressive speed. The government took over an athletic stadium in the central town of Nantou, and it was soon swarming with uniformed soldiers, civilian volunteers, local charitable organizations...
All of these make things bouncing back soon!!!

Taiwan Thanks the World
Not only the local strength, the international aid deeply impressed Taiwan people's hearts. Foreign rescue teams from Japan, Korean, Germany, USA, Swiss, Turkey, Russia,...and elsewhere mobilized to help. Since the time to save life is so limited, these people forget to eat and sleep, put all their efforts trying to search hopes in collapsed buildings. We all see and remember this, and will spread it all over the world. We want to say, "Thank You"!!!