In the following article, originally published in Struggle/La Lucha, Sharon Black compares and contrasts responses to recent natural disasters in China and the United States.
When Hurricane Helene struck, entire villages in Appalachia were wiped out. And of the 230 victims the hurricane claimed, 105 lived in North Carolina.
“More than four months after Hurricane Helene struck, many residents in western North Carolina remain essentially homeless. They are temporarily housed in hotels and face eviction during a freezing winter. More than 1,600 families lost access to Transitional Sheltering Assistance because FEMA [the Federal Emergency Management Agency] was unable to contact them digitally.”
In California, fires raged for nearly a month and the danger of landslides remains. Health consequences in the region have not yet been fully measured, especially for young children, infants, and older people, whose lungs are more at risk of disease from inhaling poisonous air. The Los Angeles-based Harriet Tubman Center for Social Justice has called on the government to convert military production from bombs and guns to manufacturing air purifiers and personal protective equipment (PPE).
While Trump demagogically attacked Los Angeles’s Black Mayor, Karen Bass, he did not condemn price-gouging landlords, multi-million–dollar insurance companies, or profit-hungry utility companies such as Southern California Edison. Residents in Altadena, where 75% of African Americans living there own their homes, have charged the company with negligence and greed.
While such disasters swept the USA, a 6.8 -magnitude earthquake struck a remote region of China’s Xizang Autonomous Region (generally known as Tibet). The contrast in the response was stark.
China’s President Xi Jinping ordered all-out rescue efforts to save lives. He called for top priority to be given to treating the injured, meeting the basic needs of those affected, and speeding post-disaster recovery.
The earthquake struck at 9 a.m. Village representatives from the local government and the Communist Party of China immediately alerted the central government and went door to door to begin rescue efforts – even before specialised teams arrived. Military aircraft from the Western Theatre Command took off early that day to set up a command station in Dingri County. Disaster teams, medical personnel, and supplies – including members of the People’s Liberation Army – were already on their way. Sharon notes:
“What’s remarkable is that these efforts took place at high altitudes, in freezing temperatures, and with limited daylight. Pictures show Chinese rescue teams using drones to light up the area and working around the clock.”
She notes the similarity in response on the part of working people in both countries, concluding:
From China to Los Angeles and Appalachia, ordinary people have shown an incredible capacity for sacrifice and altruism and the ability to work together. Such cooperation and solidarity are key to human survival. What is missing in Los Angeles, North Carolina, and the United States as a whole is a system that matches our natural ability to cooperate, protect one another, and act heroically when needed – a system that puts people’s needs before profits. China’s President Xi Jinping summed it up best: ‘Saving lives is the most important thing.’ It should always come before capitalist profits and imperialist war.
President Donald Trump recently visited two U.S. climate disaster sites — Asheville, North Carolina, and Los Angeles. In addition to racist rants against immigrants and DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) hires, he also targeted the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
Trump said his goal was to shut down the already underfunded agency and pass the problem of disaster relief to the states and local politicians to avoid federal responsibility.
Western North Carolina, particularly Buncombe County, suffered the worst damage and loss of life from Hurricane Helene. Entire villages in Appalachia were wiped out, and 105 of the 230 Helene victims lived in North Carolina. Some residents went weeks without water or power.
People in Appalachia remain cold and homeless
More than four months after Hurricane Helene struck, many residents in western North Carolina remain essentially homeless. They are temporarily housed in hotels and face eviction during a freezing winter. More than 1,600 families lost access to Transitional Sheltering Assistance because FEMA was unable to contact them digitally.
California disaster continues
The Palisades and Eaton Fires in California were contained after nearly a month, but the danger of mudslides remains. To date, 29 people have been reported dead, and victims are still being identified. At least 17,000 homes and structures were destroyed, leaving families homeless and left to fend for themselves.
Meanwhile, predatory landlords have hiked rents, often violating Governor Newsom’s rather weak emergency decree limiting rent increases to 10% this month.
Health consequences in the region have not yet been fully measured, especially for young children, infants, and older people, whose lungs are more at risk of disease from inhaling poisonous air. The Los Angeles–based Harriet Tubman Center for Social Justice has called on the government to convert military production from bombs and guns to manufacturing air purifiers and personal protective equipment (PPE).
While Trump demagogically attacked Los Angeles’s Black Mayor, Karen Bass, he did not condemn price-gouging landlords, multi-million–dollar insurance companies, or profit-hungry utility companies such as Southern California Edison. Residents in Altadena, where 75% of African Americans living there own their homes, have charged the company with negligence and greed.
Trillions to the war machine
Nevertheless, the U.S. government continues to funnel trillions into the war machine, which includes genocide in Palestine. Imperialist war remains the priority for U.S. government spending.
China’s disaster response to the Xizang earthquake
While the Eaton Fire broke out on Jan. 7 in the United States, people in China’s Xizang Autonomous Region (referred to as Tibet in the Western press) suffered a devastating 6.8-magnitude earthquake. What followed in China contrasts sharply with what transpired in the U.S.
China’s President Xi Jinping ordered all-out rescue efforts to save lives. He called for top priority being given to treating the injured, meeting the basic needs of those affected, and speeding post-disaster recovery.
The earthquake struck at 9 a.m. Village representatives from the local government and the Communist Party of China immediately alerted the central government and went door to door to begin rescue efforts — even before specialized teams arrived. Military aircraft from the Western Theater Command took off early that day to set up a command station in Dingri County. Disaster teams, medical personnel, and supplies — including members of the People’s Liberation Army — were already on their way.
A report and video titled “Heroic Rescues After the Xizang Earthquake” from The Point in Beijing, released just 24 hours after the quake, explain the process in depth. What’s remarkable is that these efforts took place at high altitudes, in freezing temperatures, and with limited daylight. Pictures show Chinese rescue teams using drones to light up the area and working around the clock.
More than 14,000 people participated in the rescue efforts, and 46,000 have been relocated and housed. By Jan. 8, the largest highway had been cleared, and hot meals were available.
The Chinese People’s Armed Police Force’s Xizang Contingent organized a voluntary blood donation drive in response to a critical shortage at the Xizang Autonomous Region blood center caused by the earthquake.
A new recruit told the Global Times, “As soldiers, it’s our duty to help the people in the disaster area.” About 200 soldiers took part in the drive.
Here are a few videos and pictures depicting the Chinese government’s efforts on the ground:
“A total of 407 people have been rescued and over 30,000 relocated after a magnitude-6.8 #earthquake jolted southwest China’s #Xizang Autonomous Region. Governments at all levels deployed rescuers, funds and relief supplies to the quake-struck area. Pictures
Prefabricated housing was assembled in approximately 2-3 minutes by the China Railway Group Limited (CREC).
Workers solidarity is universal
In Gurong Village, Dingri County, 31-year-old village leader Sang Jie sprang into action as soon as the first tremors struck. After alerting the central government, he organized local teams to rescue people by digging them out with their bare hands until professional crews could arrive. A Facebook video from CGTN features an interview with him.
In Los Angeles, Marcia Garcia, an undocumented immigrant from Guatemala, sprang out of bed after hearing about the fires in Altadena. With her sons, she grabbed buckets and hoses and drove to the historic Black community in Altadena to help. In an NPR interview, she said, “Our values and our principles come first. That’s what our parents taught us. They always used to say, ‘Help others without concern for who they are or why they need help.’”
In western North Carolina, similar stories of heroism and sacrifice emerged. A young boy hiked more than 11 miles through mountainous terrain to reach his mother. Eddie Hunnel, carrying only a life vest and rope, jumped into the New River to save a woman trapped in a house being washed away by the storm. He paid little attention to his own safety, though he later admitted he was shaken when the real danger sunk in. Hunnel was in the area for his son’s wedding.
From China to Los Angeles and Appalachia, ordinary people have shown an incredible capacity for sacrifice and altruism and the ability to work together. Such cooperation and solidarity are key to human survival.
What is missing in Los Angeles, North Carolina, and the United States as a whole is a system that matches our natural ability to cooperate, protect one another, and act heroically when needed — a system that puts people’s needs before profits.
China’s President Xi Jinping summed it up best: “Saving lives is the most important thing.” It should always come before capitalist profits and imperialist war.
