"Miracle" Survival Of China Quake

American Tells The Early Show Of Terrifying 3-Day Struggle To Stay Alive

(CBS)  For three days following China's devastating earthquake, Pamela Capito and 11 other Americans were determined to stay alive at all costs.

"We heard a rumble that was the loudest, deepest horrible rumble," Capito told CBS' The Early Show. "Then the earth started shaking so badly that most of us were falling to the ground."

Amazingly, everyone in her group survived the violent quake.

"It was a total miracle," she said.

The Americans were in the middle of a tour sponsored by the World Wildlife Fund when the 7.9-magnitude earthquake rattled China's Sichuan province. The group was trapped for three days in a remote, mountainous area near the panda breeding facility at the Wolong Nature Reserve.

After the quake struck, the group returned to their hotel from the nature reserve only to find that the building was too unstable to enter.

"We couldn't go in the building. So we had to live in the bus with our bottled water. We had 24 bottles of water for 12 people for three days. And so we had to ration our water," Capito said via telephone.

"The toilet situation was horrendous. That was the worst part. There was about 500 people, refugees coming from all these little villages that could get out. They came into this one area. We had an emergency camp set up," she said.

For three days and three nights Capito and her traveling companions waited for help to arrive.

"We had only rice soup. We were rationed one bowl of rice soup two times a day. There was a small little village store that had some dried raisins, dried plums, that we had to ration each morning."

Finally, on Wednesday, rescuers began reaching the area near the epicenter of the quake and representatives of the World Wildlife Fund were able to reach their tour group by satellite phone. When the Americans were finally airlifted out by helicopter, what they saw below shocked them.

"I cried all the way. It was absolute destruction the whole way," Capito said. "The whole canyon we flew out of, every hillside had slid down. There was one town that was completely, totally erased. It was at the bottom of the hill where we got off the main highway to go up to the reserve.

"There was no village there at all," she said.

Now relatively safe in the provincial capital of Chengdu, Capito is looking forward to returning home. Though, the reality of her ordeal is just beginning to sink in.

"I feel like I'm actually watching it in a dream," she said. "I don't feel like I'm going through it yet. It hasn't really hit me that it's as bad as it is."

"Until the helicopters got there today, that's when I finally realized this is a serious thing - I'm finally getting out of here. Then all of us just sobbed; we just cried knowing we're going to see our families again. Because during the time, I really thought I was dead. I really thought I was dead on the spot."

Capito knows how lucky she and the other members of her group are lucky to be returning home to their friends and family, but she's still struggling to comprehend the full scale of the earthquake's death toll, which some Chinese officials fear could reach as high as 50,000.

"I'm just so sad for the 15,000 that have lost their lives," she said.

[nothappyatall]

...they become un-sympatethic towards the misery of others because some cbs reporter happen to add "miracle" in the story...

Posted by obamawhama


I dont care if the reporter put ''miracle'' in the story, why on earth would people halfway around the globe need my sympathy? they mean nothing to me, I mean nothing to them, we will never meet and dont know each other, we have our OUR problems here in the USA with our OWN disasters and deaths, we certainly dont need travel halfway around the globe to find it- charity begins at HOME, like hint hint; KATRINA victims, remember them? like hint hint: people losing homes due to loss of jobs in a sour economy, like hint hint: the old man I read about whose electric was shut off for lack of payment so he burned kerosene for light and heat, and was found DEAD- suffocated for lack of paying an ELECTRIC bill in the richest country in the world.

We need to worry a LOT less about the squalling overpopulated third world who cant seem to use birth control, and a lot more about our OWN people here!

[nothappyatall]

So which IS IT whamma? a perfect paradise where you are young, perfect and free with your dead relatives forever, or in a dark hole in the ground oblivious to all?
You cant have it BOTH ways honey!
Posted by newster1

*************
ahhhhhhhhhhh so its all about your hatred from religion...that would make yours even sweeter..my only wish is that i be there as you lay bleeding and dying..YOU HAVE A VERY BITTER AND SHALLOW PERCEPTION OF REALITY...

Posted by obamawhama"

I hate religion yup! why not? its been responsible for millions of deaths, torture, jailing, burning at the stake and fanatics- its totally useless like the Easter Bunny that chits decorated chocolate eggs in your garden.

".btw...you and a christian can fu ck each other for all I care

Posted by obamawhama""

I dont ''do'' humans, people are filth, --- animals ONLY for me.
youtube.com/user/dersheeple

[nothappyatall]

okay if you say so..Isnt nice to think that you are in control of life..how you live..how you die..

man i wonder how patethic you would be ONCE YOU ARE PROVEN WRONG..
Posted by obamawhama"


oooh a bit testy tonight dear? that time of the month perhaps?
Read my post again, I did not say I live in a 100% quake/disaster proof location, I said I dont live in a place that has a history of or is prone to any of those disasters, unlike the idiots who build million dollar homes in sight of volcanoes (Mt St Helens etc) , on the beachfront (New Orleans etc), on an known quake fault (Los Angeles etc) overlooking a river, below a dam, in a flood plain, or nestled in a forest that has annual forest fires.

[obamawhama]

to end my rant...SOME, not all, athiest had bordered this patehtic little interpretation of athiesm into "hate religion" in oppose to "not believing in religion"...they become un-sympatethic towards the misery of others because some cbs reporter happen to add "miracle" in the story...

[obamawhama]

Posted by newster1 at 08:30 PM : May 15, 2008
+ report abuse

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it is obvious that you had conditioned yourself to be the MASTER OF THE UNIVERSE..you live and reside in a place where misery, death and mayhem does not exist..what is it?? made a ''prayed'' for a million dollars to god and it never happened?? you are right..you dont need a god..what you need is a genie, a butler and a shoulder try cry on..

The only thing that you can do is minimize what will happen to you..insurance..moving to the middle of the desert..that kind of things..funny enough NOBODY IS IMMUNE..when IT COMES (oh yes it will come)..you would be there gawked faced..mouth wide open and asking yourself..''HOW CAN THIS HAPPEN TO ME" and again..some athiest would comment.."shut up and may you die a slow and painful death"

[obamawhama]

So which IS IT whamma? a perfect paradise where you are young, perfect and free with your dead relatives forever, or in a dark hole in the ground oblivious to all?

You can''''t have it BOTH ways honey!










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Posted by newster1 at 08:30 PM : May 15, 2008
+ report abuse


*************

ahhhhhhhhhhh so its all about your hatred from religion...that would make yours even sweeter..my only wish is that i be there as you lay bleeding and dying..YOU HAVE A VERY BITTER AND SHALLOW PERCEPTION OF REALITY...btw...you and a christian can fu ck each other for all I care

[obamawhama]

What makes you think I haven''''t?
That''''s by the way what having full coverage replacement INSURANCE is for!

As it happens I live in a place that is NOT prone to quakes, floods or natural disasters, only idiots, morons and fools build and live next to volcanos, on or near earthquake faults, on the coast, by the beach front, near a river, or below a dam.
I''''m no idiot, moron or fool- I don''''t live in any of those locations- I knew how to CHECK OUT a location BEFORE moving in and buying a house.


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Posted by newster1 at 08:35 PM : May 15, 2008
+ report abuse


*************

okay if you say so..Isnt nice to think that you are in control of life..how you live..how you die..

man i wonder how patethic you would be ONCE YOU ARE PROVEN WRONG..

[gce65]

CBS: PLease don''t turn this disastrous death of 50K+ into some little fantasy miracle story about 1 person''s survival. In a year it''s still going to be ''08 Earthquake in China, not The Miracle of ''08.

[lovesamerica]

I too noticed what ''adversity'' the 12 Americans had to suffer. But remember,they were in a foreign country and are used to a different life style. We spaz if the power goes out, or the water tastes a little funny. Because they live in amore blessed country as far asliving conditions, do not trivialize their happiness at surviving a horrible experience that I am sure will haunt them all their lives. Maybe the reporters should think before printing a comment someone made under diress, even if it was a little lacking in sensitivity.

[xraytwonine]

The group was trapped for three days in a remote... After the quake struck, the group returned to their hotel from the nature reserve only to find that the building was too unstable to enter. " ""The toilet situation was horrendous. That was the worst part. " ""We had only rice soup. We were rationed one bowl of rice soup two times a day." "reach their tour group by satellite phone"


ARE YOU F1CKING KIDDING ME? This goes to show how the so-called "civilized world" view the rest of the world and its people;

You are F1CKING ALIVE AND WELL, WHAT MIRACLE? YOU WEREN''T EVEN TRAP BY ANYTHING, COMPLAINING ABOUT FOOD AND THE TOILET? WHAT KIND OF NEWS IS THIS?

Just cause a bunch of well-off people from the western world is ok that makes it a miracle? what kind of human being are you?