China quake jolts families in Seattle area

Tong Zhu's husband woke her up early Monday with an urgent message. Television news shows were reporting a massive earthquake had struck central China.

"He said, 'You better call your family,' " said Zhu, of Lakewood in Pierce County, whose parents, sister and brother-in-law live in Chengdu, about 60 miles northwest of the epicenter.

She spent nearly three hours trying to reach her sister, only to learn that their parents were vacationing on Qingchen Mountain -- even closer to the quake.

"After a couple of hours, we reached them," said Zhu, director of commercial strategy for the Port of Tacoma. "They're doing OK. They're in a resort place, gathered in an empty field. It looks like they'll all be staying outside."

Ten days after a cyclone obliterated parts of Myanmar, the 7.9-magnitude quake that rocked China sent local residents with ties to the disaster zone scrambling to make contact with family and friends.

Federal Way resident Shirley Zhang spent hours getting "a busy signal or no signal at all." She finally reached her sister and brother in Chongqing, about three hours southeast from Chengdu, and learned that a nephew in Du Jiang Yan -- in between Chengdu and the epicenter -- was safe.

But she had been unable to reach her best friend from high school.

"I feel very depressed today," Zhang said. "I've got a lot of e-mails from friends, trying to find out if my relatives are OK. I feel sad. I know the toll will go up."

At the University of Washington, graduate student Songmao Zheng was watching a television show online from China early Monday when a news flash reported the quake.

"I called back home ASAP," Zheng said, learning that his family was safe in Chongqing, though schoolmates in Chengdu reported crumbling buildings.

UW junior Ruolan Liu said her mother called from their home in Portland with good news out of Chengdu: "My grandmother's apartment did not collapse."

All 11 students in the UW's exchange program in Chengdu are "safe and accounted for," program director Steve Harrell said.

Gov. Chris Gregoire sent a letter of condolence to her counterpart in Sichuan Province, Washington's sister state since 1982. A delegation from Sichuan visited Washington last year on the 25th anniversary of the relationship.

In a separate statement, Gregoire urged Washingtonians to support relief efforts.

"Even though the earthquake victims are half a world away," she said, "they are also our neighbors."

World Vision, while still responding in Myanmar, tried Monday to contact its long-term development workers in Qingchuan County, about 125 miles from the epicenter in Sichuan.

"Two major disasters in Asia in (about) one week is a blow. It's tragic," said Rachel Wolff, a spokeswoman for the international relief agency in Federal Way.

But the agency, which has raised about $2.5 million in the U.S. for Myanmar relief, expects another wave of support.

"Americans are among the most generous people in the world," Wolff said.

Four Pierce County cities -- University Place, Lakewood, Steilacoom and DuPont -- will hold fundraisers this weekend to support their sister city, Jiangyou, less than 100 miles northeast of the epicenter.

Ron Chow, an officer on the University Place Sister City Committee, plans to travel to Jiangyou in June to help rebuild a damaged high school.

Some Washington-based businesses have offices or manufacturing plants in Chengdu and Chongqing, but the Washington State China Relations Council has heard no reports of any of them being badly damaged by the quake, Executive Director Joe Borich said.

"The towns directly over the earthquake were devastated, but I very much doubt any foreign businesses were based there, much less Washington-based companies," he said.

Seattle-based Starbucks Corp. has 15 stores in the affected areas, eight in Chengdu and seven in Chongqing. The company said that it has a "high degree of confidence" that none of its employees was injured.

Ditto for Microsoft Corp., which reported that its Chengdu staff was safe, although its building sustained minor damage.

HOW TO HELP

Donations to help earthquake victims in China may be made:

At any Wells Fargo Bank branch in Washington to the account of the University Place Sister Cities Association, earmarked for "China Earthquake Relief Fund." For a tax-deductible receipt, e-mail Ron Chow at R3kchow@comcast.net.

During business hours at the city halls for University Place, Lakewood and DuPont; at Steilacoom's Public Works Department; and at HomeScape Pro next to Lakewood City Hall from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday.

To World Vision at worldvision.org or by calling 888-562-4453.