Aftertheearthquake,Sherab(right)asksvillagersabouttheirlivingconditionsinthetemporarysettlement.Eight-month-oldSangyeTseringandherauntattherelocationsite.WEfirstmetSherabGyaltsen,directoroftheXuebugangNeighborhoodCommitteeofZhamTowninNyalamCounty,inZhamCommunityinXigaze,Tibet.Atthattime,thetownshipleadinggroupwasabouttocompleteitstermofoffice.Sherabandthevillagecommitteememberswerehencecarryingoutstatisticalworkonvoterinformation.
ZhamCommunityformerlyhousedstaffoftheXigazeMunicipalPartyCommittee,butaftertheearthquakeinNepallastyear,thecommitteedecideditshouldbeusedtore-housethoseaffectedbythequake.Now,morethan300familiesfromXuebugangliveinthespaciousandsecurehousesinZhamCommunity.
OnApril25,2015,amassive,8.1magnitudeearthquakestruckNepal,affecting19countiesanddistrictsinChina鈥檚TibetAutonomousRegion.NeighboringNepal,NyalamCountyandGyirongCountywerethehardesthitareas.Despitebearingthelossoffourfamilymembers,Sheraborganizedtheworktotransferandre-housethevictims.
FatherWillNeverGiveuponYou
Recallingthedisaster,Sherab鈥檚speechslowedandhisbrowsfurrowed.
Afewdaysbeforetheearthquake,astormhadblowndownabigtreethatblockedthewaytoapasture.AtnoononApril25,afterameetingwiththeneighborhoodcommittee,Sherabdecidedtogotothepasturetocheckoutthesituationinspiteoftherain.
Uponleavinghome,thegroundstartedtoshakeandrumble,andthemassifnearthevillagecollapsedinstantly.Therollingrocksandbreakingtreeschurnedupsoilanddust.Narrowlymissingfallingdebris,Sherabstumbledbacktohishomeonlytofindthatahugerockhadsmashedtheroofandcrashedintotheofficebuildingoftheneighborhoodcommitteeontheothersideoftheroad.
Hiswife,granddaughter,grandson,andtheirnannyhadbeenkilledbytheimpact.Heheardhisdaughter,TseringChozin,cryingforhelp.
鈥淒on鈥檛beafraid,dad鈥檚here,鈥漇herabshouted,desperatelydiggingawayattherubbletosavehisdaughter.Butassoonashehadclearedawaytherocks,morewouldtumbledownintheirplace.Hishousewasburiedbyfallingrocks.
Hisdaughterhadsufferedmultiplefracturesinherlegsandhadnofeelinginherlowerbody.
Eventually,Sherabdughisdaughterfree,hoistedherontohisback,andrandownhilltothebordercheckpoint,wheretherewerealreadymorethan200people.Allaroundhecouldseethefacesoftraumatizedvictimsandthecrackedandtumbledownbuildingswherehishomeoncestood.SherabproposedtoNyimaDhondup,PartysecretaryofXuebugangneighborhoodcommittee,thetransferofallthevictimstoLixinVillage,whichwasmuchsafer.
SharedLoss
鈥淭hedoctorwilltakecareofyouhere.IneedtotaketheotherstoLixinVillage,鈥漇herabtoldhisdaughterassheslippedinandoutofconsciousness.Thenhebeckonedeveryonetofollowhim.Aftermorethanthreehoursofwalking,over270localsarrivedinLixinVillage.AllthehousesinXuebuganghadcollapsedandwererazedtotheground.AndSherabhadleftbehindhisseverelyinjureddaughteranddepartedrelativesamongsttheruins.
ThetimefromApril25to29mightwellhavebeenthelongestfourdaysinthelivesofthousandsofpeopleinZhamTown.Hideousmegalithsonthecliffcouldengulfeverythingatanytime,andthenextaftershockcouldsendprecariousstructurescrashingdowninaninstant.
Despitedeepsorrowatlosinghislovedones,Sherabcarriedouttherescueworkinminimaltime,keptthesurvivorscalm,carriedgoodsandmaterialstoandfro,andarrangedaccommodationforthoseinneed.
Becauseofitspositiononthemountain,ZhamTownwasnolongerasafeplacetoliveaftertheearthquake.Adecisionwasmadetoevacuateeveryoneatonce.SherabandotherCPCmemberscalledoneveryhouseholdtopackupandgetreadytoleave.
Severaloldpeopleinthepasturewerereluctanttoleave,butSherabknewthedangersofstayingtheresoheandNyimawenttothepasturetoappealtotheresidentstheretogodownhillassoonaspossible.
鈥淪herabisacapablepersonandhewasthefirstCPCmemberinourvillage.Thelocalsholdhiminhighesteemsovillagersgenerallycomplywithwhathesays,鈥漵aidNyima.
At9pmonApril29,thelastgroupofpeopleleftthetown.ItwasonlythenthatSherabnoticedthathisclothesandshoeswerewornoutandthathehadn鈥檛evenbroughtonethingwithhimfromhishome.
鈥淎stheheadofourneighborhoodcommittee,Icouldnotthinkofonlymyfamilyandignorethesafetyofotherpeople,鈥漇herabsaid.
SeekHelp
SherabmadesurehewasavailableforpeoplewhoneededhimattherelocationsitesinLhazeCounty,patrollingthetentsequippedwithawalkie-talkie.
鈥淚nLhaze,Sherabwasveryactiveinsolvingourproblems.Hecomfortedusandaskedhouseholderstolookoutforus,鈥漵aidonevillager,Dawa,whoregardedsSherabasagooddirectorwhoalwayshaspeople鈥檚interestsatheart.
WhenDawawantedtobuildahouse,itwasSherabwhonegotiatedwiththetowngovernmentandhelpedhimclearawayhillstonesbehindhisoldhousetomakewayforthenewone.WhenvillagerSangnuwasseriouslyill,itwasSherabandothercadreswhoraisedfundsforhermedicaltreatmentinLhasa.ItwasalsoSherabwhohelpedayoungcouplefindaplacetoholdtheirweddingceremony.
Oneweekaftertheearthquake,SherabfinallyhadtimetovisithisdaughterinXigaze.Shehadjusthadanoperation.鈥淲hereismymom?Wherearemychildren?鈥漵heaskedintears.Sherabcouldsaynothingbutbowhisheadsilentlyintears.
Sherabwasavictimoftheearthquake,butheisalsoaCPCmember.鈥淭hisisthechoiceofaPartymember,鈥漢esaid.
鈥淣ow,peoplearelivinginnewsettlementbuildingsandfindingjobs.Sincemostofthemweretradesmen,thelocalgovernmentsetupstallsfortheminthemarket,andeveryonereceivesaRMB15subsidyeachdayandatotalallowanceofRMB5,000eachyear,鈥漵aidSherab.
Thoseaffectedbythequakehaveresumedtheirdailylife.Sherabcontinueshiseffortstoseekbenefitsandstrivefordevelopmentopportunitiesforlocalpeople.
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DonationsofTVsandsatellitedishesweremadetoquakevictimsineffortstoeasetheirplight.PenpaTseringisshownabovewiththeTVhehasjustreceived.devotion
Thoseaffectedbythequakehaveresumedtheirdailylife.Sherabcontinueshiseffortstoseekbenefitsandstrivefordevelopmentopportunitiesforlocalpeople.