China quake will cause global economic aftershock

The quake's death toll could reach 80,000+, since many casualties are entombed in rubble with all hope of rescue gone. Many families have lost their only child. Millions are sleeping in the open, even in the midst of heavy rain, afraid to reenter damaged structures because of the many aftershocks (Associated Press, May 14, 2008). Two thousand Chinese soldiers have been deployed to repair "extremely dangerous" four-inch cracks in one major dam that provides hydroelectric power and irrigation for the region.

Aftershocks continue to extend the damage. On May 27, a 5.7 magnitude temblor struck Shaanix province, and a 5.4 aftershock rocked Qingchuan county in Sichuan Province. China's Xinhua news agency reports that the new tremors toppled 420,000 structures, many of which had sustained initial damage in the May 12 quake, which had devastated central China. Dozens of quake-caused landslides have blocked rivers, creating fragile, natural dams that could give way at any time.

The largest and most dangerous of these river blockages is located at Tangjiashan Lake in northern Sichuan Province. As a precaution against massive flooding if the dam might be breached, more than 150,000 people downstream were evacuated. As of May 27, that blockage was estimated to be holding back 34 billion gallons of water. To prevent a disastrous overflow, engineers plan to blast a 200-yard channel in the blockage. Soldiers have had to lug explosives through rugged mountainous terrain to reach the site of the slide. Although water levels continue to rise by more than three feet each day, engineers do not expect to begin the orderly drainage before June fifth. Complicating this race against time, weather forecasters have predicted additional rainstorms. Lin Ning, chief engineer at the Ministry of Water Resources, said, "I worry about the start of the rainy season." In addition to the Tangjiashan Lake blockage, two other newly created lakes have the potential to become dangerous if there are heavy rains.

In the quake-affected areas, millions of Chinese are now without homes or livelihoods. Crowded tent-camps, hastily erected to shelter the displaced population, are beset by unsanitary conditions that raise the threat of disease.

Across the affected region, hundreds of dams, mines, bridges, roads, railway lines, hospitals, schools, factories, government buildings, power and water treatment plants and other infrastructure have been destroyed or severely damaged, along with millions of homes. A massive multi-year program will be required to rebuild the nation's heartland. The whole world economy will feel an economic aftershock, as the already voracious Chinese appetite for fuel and building materials surges, speeding the increase of already rising commodity prices. China will likely have to dip into its reserve of 1.4 trillion U.S. dollars, to pay for its recovery, adding to U.S. inflation and further hurting the American economy. God warned our peoples centuries ago: "Your wealth and your treasures I will give as plunder without price, because of all your sins" (Jeremiah 15:13).

Sadly, this tragedy is only a small foretaste of the troubles and tribulations that humanity will experience just prior to Christ's return. "For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of sorrows" (Matthew 24:7-8).

Do not make the mistake of thinking that disasters like China's cannot also occur in your hometown. The decisions you make now will make the difference in how severely future disasters may affect you. If you would like to gain a deeper insight into what the world will face in the years ahead, read our booklets Who Controls the Weather? and Prophecy Fulfilled: God's Hand in World Affairs.