A Gloomy Awakening

Friday, 16th May 2008. 2:45 a.m.

I was rudely awaken by an abrupt phone call from my boyfriend, Ricky Wang, who informed me that he will be packed off to Chengdu in Sichuan, China, to aid in rescue operations following Monday's massive earthquake which shattered through 10 provinces.

He is among the 55 strong Singapore Civil Defense Force Disaster Assistance and Rescue Team (DART) code named Operation Lion Heart, scheduled for departure at 8:30 a.m this morning at the Paya Lebar air base.

Although I knew that he has been on standby for the past 2 months, I secretly prayed hard that he would not be re-called, knowing the imminent dangers which awaited him the moment he sets foot in foreign land - the possibility of post earthquake traumas or the sudden flooding of Sichuan due to leakages from the state's largest water reserves. My initial fears of not seeing him return home alive soon grappled within me.

I cried.

Yet, I knew that I could not spare to look on the negative side of the situation. And neither could I afford to remain selfish. With his safe return, he would be greatly commended by Singapore's top governmental officials for his help rendered in the search operation.

"I will be back in either 2-3 weeks time. That's the minimum time frame given. Then, they'll send their second wave of aides to assist in the rescue." As Ricky spoke, I could sense a tinge of despair in his voice. As much as I hated him to leave, he too, had no choice but to comply to the government's orders.

"Does your family knows about this?" I asked.

"Yes."

He is the sole breadwinner of his family.

After our phone conversation, we exchanged several SMSes before he switched off his mobile at 5:30 a.m in preparation for his departure.

For the past four days before Ricky's recall, I have been closely following up on reports of the massive 7.9 magnitude earthquake which claimed over 20,000 lives, most of which are students.

The worst hit province of Wenchuan has already left nearly 10,000 dead.

Chinese government officials said that the death toll is expected to rise to 50,000, reports asiaone news.

Currently, rescue aides in Sichuan are in the midst of a frantic search for survivors buried under heaps of mountainous rubble as time is trickling fast. Friday's SOS call sent out by Chinese President Hu Jintao to allow foreign aid teams to enter Sichuan came as a result of the government's fear of more deaths.

Japan was the first to enter the epicentre, bringing along with them sniffer dogs on an en route flight, followed by South Korea and Singapore.

Risks of diseases are especially acute in the counties of Wenchuan and Beichuan, where death tolls are amongst the highest.

Senior Communist Party official Bai Licheng of Sichuan's Aba prefecture conveyed his urgencies of the needs of body bags while in Yingxiu, amid the changing weather, which hastens decomposition, quotes Asiaone News.

For now, all I could do is to earnestly pray for his safety and return.