MIANYANG, CHINA — Everywhere you turned Wednesday, there was more bad news: The official death toll from China's earthquake climbed to nearly 15,000, with thousands still missing; 391 dams were damaged; and in Mianyang county, 3,600 passengers were trapped in trains, and 120 coal miners lost underground.
Although survivors at the epicenter of the magnitude 7.9 earthquake began receiving some aid, tens of thousands of others were in dire straits, lacking food, water and shelter.
To begin meeting the immense needs of survivors, the government airdropped supplies, and crews began rebuilding roads and bridges. People across the country stepped up, in cities and mountain regions, donating money, at times sharing the little food or water available, and comforting one another under terrible conditions.
At the Red Cross Society of China offices in Beijing, volunteers struggled to answer telephones ringing off the hook with offers of help while others counted wads of cash from a steady stream of donors.
China Mobile set up a system that allows cellphone users to donate money via a text message.
The government had not set up a central hotline for people to inquire about their relatives as of late Wednesday, but FM-91.4, a traffic radio station in the Sichuan provincial capital Chengdu, read on air the text messages from survivors in a bid to fill the vacuum. Some websites were also posting messages.
The outpouring of help from the people and the speed with which many groups became involved underscored a fundamental shift in recent years as more individuals and companies take the initiative, eroding the traditional government-led approach. Greater wealth, an emerging middle class and entrepreneurship mark a new generation of citizens more used to making their own decisions.
The government, for its part, has at times warned do-gooders to stay clear and let the army and police do their jobs. "Your capabilities are weak and you're not a professional," an announcer warned on radio stations.
That did not deter citizens such as those in private vehicles Wednesday heading north on the highway to Beichuan.
"Combat the Earthquake, Save the Victims," read a hand-painted white sign on one silver sedan packed with blankets.
Conditions in many areas remained grim. Scores of people were hungry and thirsty and living outside because of collapsed or unsafe homes.
