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TEXAS COURT OF APPEALS, THIRD DISTRICT, AT AUSTIN
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One woman is alleged to have become pregnant at the age of thirteen. She is now twenty-two years old.

TEXAS COURT OF APPEALS, THIRD DISTRICT, AT AUSTIN






NO. 03-08-00235-CV


In re Sara Steed, et al.






ORIGINAL PROCEEDING FROM SCHLEICHER COUNTY


M E M O R A N D U M O P I N I O NPER CURIAM

This original mandamus proceeding involves the temporary custody of a number of children who were removed from their homes on an emergency basis from the Yearning For Zion ranch outside of Eldorado, Texas. (1) The ranch is associated with the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (FLDS), and a number of families live there. Relators are thirty-eight women who were living at the ranch and had children taken into custody on an emergency basis by the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services based on allegations by the Department that there was immediate danger to the physical health or safety of the children.

Relators seek a writ of mandamus requiring the district court to vacate its temporary orders (2) in which it named the Department the temporary sole managing conservator of their children. (3) Relators complain that the Department failed to meet its burden under section 262.201 of the Texas Family Code to demonstrate (1) that there was a danger to the physical health or safety of their children, (2) that there was an urgent need for protection of the children that required the immediate removal of the children from their parents, or (3) that the Department made reasonable efforts to eliminate or prevent the children's removal from their parents. Tex. Fam. Code Ann. § 262.201 (West Supp. 2007). Without such proof, Relators argue, the district court was required to return the children to their parents and abused its discretion by failing to do so.

Removing children from their homes and parents on an emergency basis before fully litigating the issue of whether the parents should continue to have custody of the children is an extreme measure. It is, unfortunately, sometimes necessary for the protection of the children involved. However, it is a step that the legislature has provided may be taken only when the circumstances indicate a danger to the physical health and welfare of the children and the need for protection of the children is so urgent that immediate removal of the children from the home is necessary. See id. (4)

Section 262.201 further requires the Department, when it has taken children into custody on an emergency basis, to make a showing of specific circumstances that justify keeping the children in the Department's temporary custody pending full litigation of the question of permanent custody. Unless there is sufficient evidence to demonstrate the existence of each of the requirements of section 262.201(b), the court is required to return the children to the custody of their parents. Tex. Fam. Code Ann. § 262.201(b).

In this case, the Department relied on the following evidence with respect to the children taken into custody from the Yearning For Zion ranch to satisfy the requirements of section 262.201:



  • •Interviews with investigators revealed a pattern of girls reporting that "there was no age too young for girls to be married";

  • Twenty females living at the ranch had become pregnant between the ages of thirteen and seventeen;

  • Five of the twenty females identified as having become pregnant between the ages of thirteen and seventeen are alleged to be minors, the other fifteen are now adults;

  • •Of the five minors who became pregnant, four are seventeen and one is sixteen, and all five are alleged to have become pregnant at the age of fifteen or sixteen; (5)

  • •The Department's lead investigator was of the opinion that due to the "pervasive belief system" of the FLDS, the male children are groomed to be perpetrators of sexual abuse and the girls are raised to be victims of sexual abuse;

  • •All 468 children (6) were removed from the ranch under the theory that the ranch community was "essentially one household comprised of extended family subgroups" with a single, common belief system and there was reason to believe that a child had been sexually abused in the ranch "household"; and

  • •Department witnesses expressed the opinion that there is a "pervasive belief system" among the residents of the ranch that it is acceptable for girls to marry, engage in sex, and bear children as soon as they reach puberty, and that this "pervasive belief system" poses a danger to the children.



In addition, the record demonstrates the following facts, which are undisputed by the Department:



  • The only danger to the male children or the female children who had not reached puberty identified by the Department was the Department's assertion that the "pervasive belief system" of the FLDS community groomed the males to be perpetrators of sexual abuse later in life and taught the girls to submit to sexual abuse after reaching puberty;

  • There was no evidence that the male children, or the female children who had not reached puberty, were victims of sexual or other physical abuse or in danger of being victims of sexual or other physical abuse;

  • •While there was evidence that twenty females had become pregnant between the ages of thirteen and seventeen, there was no evidence regarding the marital status of these girls when they became pregnant or the circumstances under which they became pregnant other than the general allegation that the girls were living in an FLDS community with a belief system that condoned underage marriage and sex; (7)

  • •There was no evidence that any of the female children other than the five identified as having become pregnant between the ages of fifteen and seventeen were victims or potential victims of sexual or other physical abuse;

  • •With the exception of the five female children identified as having become pregnant between the ages of fifteen and seventeen, there was no evidence of any physical abuse or harm to any other child;

  • •The Relators have identified their children among the 468 taken into custody by the Department, and none of the Relators' children are among the five the Department has identified as being pregnant minors; and

  • •The Department conceded at the hearing that teenage pregnancy, by itself, is not a reason to remove children from their home and parents, but took the position that immediate removal was necessary in this case because "there is a mindset that even the young girls report that they will marry at whatever age, and that it's the highest blessing they can have to have children."



The Department argues that the fact that there are five minor females living in the ranch community who became pregnant at ages fifteen and sixteen together with the FLDS belief system condoning underage marriage and pregnancy indicates that there is a danger to all of the children that warrants their immediate removal from their homes and parents, and that the need for protection of the children is urgent. (8) The Department also argues that the "household" to which the children would be returned includes persons who have sexually abused another child, because the entire Yearning For Zion ranch community is a "household." See id. § 262.201(d)(2).

The Department failed to carry its burden with respect to the requirements of section 262.201(b). Pursuant to section 262.201(b)(1), the danger must be to the physical health or safety of the child. The Department did not present any evidence of danger to the physical health or safety of any male children or any female children who had not reached puberty. Nor did the Department offer any evidence that any of Relators' pubescent female children were in physical danger other than that those children live at the ranch among a group of people who have a "pervasive system of belief" that condones polygamous marriage and underage females having children. (9) The existence of the FLDS belief system as described by the Department's witnesses, by itself, does not put children of FLDS parents in physical danger. It is the imposition of certain alleged tenets of that system on specific individuals that may put them in physical danger. The Department failed to offer any evidence that any of the pubescent female children of the Relators were in such physical danger. The record is silent as to whether the Relators or anyone in their households are likely to subject their pubescent female children to underage marriage or sex. The record is also silent as to how many of Relators' children are pubescent females and whether there is any risk to them other than that they live in a community where there is a "pervasive belief system" that condones marriage and child-rearing as soon as females reach puberty.

The Department also failed to establish that the need for protection of the Relators' children was urgent and required immediate removal of the children. As previously noted, none of the identified minors who are or have been pregnant are children of Relators. There is no evidence that any of the five pregnant minors live in the same household as the Relators' children. (10) There is no evidence that Relators have allowed or are going to allow any of their minor female children to be subjected to any sexual or physical abuse. There is simply no evidence specific to Relators' children at all except that they exist, they were taken into custody at the Yearning For Zion ranch, and they are living with people who share a "pervasive belief system" that condones underage marriage and underage pregnancy. Even if one views the FLDS belief system as creating a danger of sexual abuse by grooming boys to be perpetrators of sexual abuse and raising girls to be victims of sexual abuse as the Department contends, (11) there is no evidence that this danger is "immediate" or "urgent" as contemplated by section 262.201 with respect to every child in the community. The legislature has required that there be evidence to support a finding that there is a danger to the physical health or safety of the children in question and that the need for protection is urgent and warrants immediate removal. Id. § 262.201(b). Evidence that children raised in this particular environment may someday have their physical health and safety threatened is not evidence that the danger is imminent enough to warrant invoking the extreme measure of immediate removal prior to full litigation of the issue as required by section 262.201.

Finally, there was no evidence that the Department made reasonable efforts to eliminate or prevent the removal of any of Relators' children. The evidence is that the Department went to the Yearning For Zion ranch to investigate a distress call from a sixteen year-old girl. (12) After interviewing a number of children, they concluded that there were five minors who were or had been pregnant and that the belief system of the community allowed minor females to marry and bear children. They then removed all of the children in the community (including infants) from their homes and ultimately separated the children from their parents. This record does not reflect any reasonable effort on the part of the Department to ascertain if some measure short of removal and/or separation from parents would have eliminated the risk the Department perceived with respect to any of the children of Relators.

We find that the Department did not carry its burden of proof under section 262.201. The evidence adduced at the hearing held April 17-18, 2008, was legally and factually insufficient to support the findings required by section 262.201 to maintain custody of Relators' children with the Department. Consequently, the district court abused its discretion in failing to return the Relators' children (13) to the Relators. The Relators' Petition for Writ of Mandamus is conditionally granted. The district court is directed to vacate its temporary orders granting sole managing conservatorship of the children of the Relators to the Department. The writ will issue only if the district court fails to comply with this opinion.



Before Chief Justice Law, Justices Pemberton and Waldrop

Filed: May 22, 2008

1. The Department removed over 450 children from their homes on the Yearning For Zion ranch over the course of three days. This proceeding does not involve parents of all of the children removed.

2. The temporary orders reviewed in this proceeding were issued following the hearing held April 17-18, 2008, and were signed the week of April 21, 2008.

3. Because temporary orders in a suit affecting a parent-child relationship are not subject to interlocutory appeal under the family code, mandamus review is appropriate. Dancy v. Daggett, 815 S.W.2d 548, 549 (Tex. 1991); In re Vernor, 94 S.W.3d 201, 210 (Tex. App.--Austin 2002, orig. proceeding).

4. Section 262.201 provides, in relevant part, as follows:



(a) Unless the child has already been returned to the parent, managing conservator, possessory conservator, guardian, caretaker, or custodian entitled to possession and the temporary order, if any, has been dissolved, a full adversary hearing shall be held not later than the 14th day after the date the child was taken into possession by the governmental entity.





(b) At the conclusion of the full adversary hearing, the court shall order the return of the child to the parent, managing conservator, possessory conservator, guardian, caretaker, or custodian entitled to possession unless the court finds sufficient evidence to satisfy a person of ordinary prudence and caution that:



(1) there was a danger to the physical health or safety of the child which was caused by an act or failure to act of the person entitled to possession and for the child to remain in the home is contrary to the welfare of the child;



(2) the urgent need for protection required the immediate removal of the child and reasonable efforts, consistent with the circumstances and providing for the safety of the child, were made to eliminate or prevent the child's removal; and



(3) reasonable efforts have been made to enable the child to return home, but there is a substantial risk of a continuing danger if the child is returned home.



. . . .



(d) In determining whether there is a continuing danger to the physical health or safety of the child, the court may consider whether the household to which the child would be returned includes a person who:



(1) has abused or neglected another child in a manner that caused serious injury to or the death of the other child; or



(2) has sexually abused another child.



Tex. Fam. Code Ann. § 262.201 (West Supp. 2007).

5. One woman is alleged to have become pregnant at the age of thirteen. She is now twenty-two years old.

6. This number has fluctuated. It will likely continue to fluctuate somewhat as disputes regarding the age of certain persons taken into custody are resolved.

7. Under Texas law, it is not sexual assault to have consensual sexual intercourse with a minor spouse to whom one is legally married. Tex. Penal Code Ann. § 22.011(a), (c)(1), (2) (West Supp. 2007). Texas law allows minors to marry--as young as age sixteen with parental consent and younger than sixteen if pursuant to court order. Tex. Fam. Code Ann. § 2.101 (West 2006), §§ 2.102-.103 (West Supp. 2007). A person may not be legally married to more than one person. Tex. Penal Code Ann. § 25.01 (West Supp. 2007).

8. The Department's position was stated succinctly by its lead investigator at the hearing. In response to an inquiry as to why the infants needed to be removed from their mothers, the investigator responded, "[W]hat I have found is that they're living under an umbrella of belief that having children at a young age is a blessing therefore any child in that environment would not be safe."

9. The Department's witnesses conceded that there are differences of opinion among the FLDS community as to what is an appropriate age to marry, how many spouses to have, and when to start having children--much as there are differences of opinion regarding the details of religious doctrine among other religious groups.

10. The notion that the entire ranch community constitutes a "household" as contemplated by section 262.201 and justifies removing all children from the ranch community if there even is one incident of suspected child sexual abuse is contrary to the evidence. The Department's witnesses acknowledged that the ranch community was divided into separate family groups and separate households. While there was evidence that the living arrangements on the ranch are more communal than most typical neighborhoods, the evidence was not legally or factually sufficient to support a theory that the entire ranch community was a "household" under section 262.201.

11. The simple fact, conceded by the Department, that not all FLDS families are polygamous or allow their female children to marry as minors demonstrates the danger of removing children from their homes based on the broad-brush ascription of every aspect of a belief system to every person living among followers of the belief system or professing to follow the belief system.

12. The authenticity of this call is in doubt. Department investigators did not locate the caller on the ranch.

13. The children referred to are those children reflected on Appendix I to Relators' reply brief and who are still in the custody of the Department.

FLDS Mothers Win Appeals Court Ruling

http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0805/22/ng.01.html

HEADLINE: RAMPANT CHILD ABUSE?

Aired May 22, 2008 - 20:00:00 ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

over 400 children rescued off an isolated Texas compound now headed straight back behind compound walls.

MICHAEL BOARD, WOAI NEWSRADIO: Well, Nancy, it is a shock to the state`s case against this group of child molesters

These three appellate judges, living up in their ivory tower, tonight sentencing these children to a lifetime behind those compound walls.

three appeals judges sitting up in an ivory tower, appointed to their jobs on the bench for life, send over 400 children rescued from an isolated compound run by the cult-like religion FLDS back, back to a life where allegations of systematic forced marriage and childbirth on girls as young as 13, 41 documented children with broken bones, allegations of abuse on the little boys, as well. Why?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Can I please tell them, tell the children good- bye? No. You go to the bus. No. You can`t ask anything.

What effect is this going to have on the children?

BETHANY MARSHALL, PSYCHOANALYST: Well, the biggest one, if they`re being sexually abused, they`re going to be terrified.

Bethany Marshall, are any of them ever going to be brought to justice?

BETHANY MARSHALL, PSYCHOANALYST, AUTHOR OF "DEALBREAKERS": You know, I -- it`s hard to say. But CPS has a hard road to hoe because, with visitation with family members where there`s predators in their midst, the family members will move the predators out when CPS comes to visit, and then they move the predators right back in again.

They say, well, little Johnny couldn`t be molesting his sister. So I`m just going to send him out that back hall when CPS workers come in the front. So how are they going to check on these families with these huge communal living situations? It is a sex offender`s paradise

FLORA JESSOP, FMR. POLYGAMIST & CHILD BRIDE, EXEC. DIRECTOR OF THE CHILD PROTECTION PROJECT: You know, I`m not sure how to answer that, Nancy. There -- we`ve brought forward hundreds of underage marriages in this cult to the authorities in Utah and Arizona,

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NANCY GRACE, HOST: Breaking news tonight. Bombshell, over 400 children rescued off an isolated Texas compound now headed straight back behind compound walls. This after allegations of systematic marriage and childbirth forced on girls as young as 13, abuse of young boys, 41 known children with broken bones. That`s right, all these children headed straight back to the same compound from which they were rescued. Says who? A three-judge panel rules there is no imminent threat to the children. But what about all the reports of rampant child abuse behind compound walls? These three appellate judges, living up in their ivory tower, tonight sentencing these children to a lifetime behind those compound walls.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Texas Rio Grande Legal Aid filed a writ of mandamus with the 3rd Court of Appeals in Austin, Texas, on behalf of these mothers, where we argued the state did not follow Texas law when they took these children without providing any evidence that these households were creating abusive environments.

Earlier this afternoon, the 3rd Court of Appeals ruled on this matter, and they stated that Child Protective Services had no evidence that these children were in imminent danger and that CPS acted hastily in removing them from their families. According to the court, the existence of the FLDS belief system as described by the department`s witnesses by itself does not put children of FLDS parents in physical danger.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: And tonight: He roamed the halls, even the operating rooms of a crowded children`s hospital, a medical coat, scrubs, stethoscope, clipboard, even a hospital ID badge. Just one thing missing, a medical degree. He`s not a doctor, and he is caught on grainy surveillance video. Why is this man posing as a doctor, stalking the halls of some of the busiest hospitals and ERs in this country?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Video surveillance catches a man posing as a doctor at a children`s hospital in Jacksonville. Hospital security cameras show the man wearing a medical coat, ID badge, clipboard, stethoscope, and carrying a large black computer case. Police say the man was seen walking down the halls of the hospital and was even able to work his way into an operating room.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There`s actually other staff members that saw him roaming around the hallways. And what really tipped them off was that they suspected alcohol in his breath, and that`s when they started asking questions. And hospital staff say he immediately left.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: Good evening. I`m Nancy Grace. I want to thank you for being with us. Breaking news tonight. Bombshell, three appeals judges sitting up in an ivory tower, appointed to their jobs on the bench for life, send over 400 children rescued from an isolated compound run by the cult-like religion FLDS back, back to a life where allegations of systematic forced marriage and childbirth on girls as young as 13, 41 documented children with broken bones, allegations of abuse on the little boys, as well. Why?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A ruling just came down a short time ago.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Breaking news out of Texas. An appeals court has just ruled the state had no right to seize hundreds of children from that polygamous sect near Eldorado. This is a major setback for the state.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The 3rd court of appeals ruled, and they stated that Child Protective Services had no evidence that these children were in imminent danger and that CPS acted hastily in removing them from their families.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They lied the whole time. I knew it was coming because of a lot of things they did. While we were there, all these CPS workers get right in with the children and try to be really friendly, trying to get them to feel like it`s OK to talk to them and to open up.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: From the evidence that I have, they are not here on the ranch. If that isn`t good enough for them, they`re going to have to bring in a search warrant and their military tanks and their snipers and all of the firepower that they feel like they have to do to do a rerun of the mistakes they`ve already made.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is a very, very drastic step that the state of Texas has taken to see that families can be ripped apart from their children without evidence, to see that an agency that`s supposed to be concerned with protecting children is actually putting them through quite possibly the most abusive situation they`ve ever been in.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I intend to get them before this is over, and I intend for them to come back to the ranch.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: Here is the ruling. Three appeals judges have sent these children back, back to a life where there are rampant allegations of systematic forced marriages and childbirth on young girls age 13 years old.

Out to Jenny Hoff, reporter with KXAN. What happened?

JENNY HOFF, KXAN: Well, today, Nancy, that writ of mandamus came down -- that court order came down at around 12:00 o`clock today, and they ruled in favor of 38 mothers who filed a writ of mandamus. And CPS -- they said CPS had no right to ever take all of those children off that ranch without proper evidence that they were being severely abused.

Now, CPS is supposed to look at every way possible of protecting children before removing them from their parents, and the court said they did not do that. They acted in a rash way, and they took an entire community of people basically because they thought they were in danger because of their religious beliefs.

GRACE: Straight out to Michael Board with WOAI Newsradio. What about it, Michael? What happened today? Why?

MICHAEL BOARD, WOAI NEWSRADIO: Well, Nancy, it is a shock to the state`s case against this group of child molesters, but it`s not as bad as some people want it to be. Now, this ruling, like Jenny said, was only 38 of the more than 170 moms. And no, the kids are not going back to the compound right now. This is only a preliminary step. The state can still appeal the appellate court ruling to the state supreme court. So it will still be some time before the kids go back to this compound.

GRACE: But the reality is, Jenny Hoff of KXAN, these three appellate judges have ruled CPS, Child Protective Services, had no right to do what they did, and therefore, the children are to be sent back to the compound walls. Now, unless there is an appeal and their decision is overturned, the children are headed back to the compound. Yes, no?

HOFF: No, it doesn`t necessarily mean this case is over. CPS can do individual investigations into each one of these families. They can`t just group all of these families together without evidence that each parent, each individual was harming their child. So they can do independent investigations. They can check in on these families. They can try to sue each one of these families individually.

What the court is saying is they cannot take this entire community and take all of their children away, 460-plus children, put them in shelters that are already completely overcrowded while they figure out what kind of evidence they have against each one of these parents.

GRACE: And can I ask you, Jenny, under this ruling, while CPS conducts each one of these hearings, where will the children be?

HOFF: They don`t know that yet. Now, CPS can file a motion to stay the order and...

GRACE: No, no. No, no. I mean -- no, I mean right now. Unless this decision is overturned, where are the children headed?

HOFF: Most likely, they would go back home with their parents.

GRACE: Yes! That`s what...

HOFF: Those parents now live in apartments and...

GRACE: ... I`ve been saying!

Out to Denise in Pennsylvania. Hi, Denise.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hi, Nancy.

GRACE: What`s your question, dear?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, I`m just outraged, and I hope everyone else is. They -- sending these 13-year-old girls back to have sex with these older men, is that not a crime?

GRACE: You know, I`m stunned, Denise in Pennsylvania. I am stunned that these three judges, appointed for life on an appellate court bench, have made this decision.

Out to Flora Jessop. She is a former child bride. She is now the executive director of Children Protection Project. What do you think about today`s ruling?

FLORA JESSOP, FORMER POLYGAMIST AND CHILD BRIDE: Well, I`m horrified by it, but -- and I`m hoping that the appeal -- that we can appeal the decision and protect these children.

But I think it`s important that people understand that this isn`t a community. A community suggests that it`s a place where you can drive in, drive on the streets. This is a compound. You can`t get into this compound, and the guys sit there and say, You have to bring your tanks back and your snipers back if you want to come in and check on these kids once they`re back in here? CPS needs to not let these children go back because they won`t be able to observe or have any kind of control over the situation at that point.

GRACE: Well, as a matter of fact, Texas authorities were turned away from coming back on the compound just yesterday, Flora Jessop. And the reality is, if they can force law enforcement, Texas authorities, not to set foot in, what about a young 13-year-old girl who is facing a forced marriage? How is she going to get out?

JESSOP: That`s right. She`s not going to be able to get out. She`s not going to be able to get help. None of these kids are going to be able to get help. They have not been systematically able to get help for years. When I tried to get help when I was a child, I was turned away. We used to have armed guards at the roads when I was living within this compound, within the FLDS group in Utah and Arizona. They`ve always, always had a system of control and threat against their children, and they won`t even let the state come in and check on the children`s welfare. There`s no way these kids can go back.

GRACE: Out to the lines. Lauren in Utah. Hi, Lauren.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hi, Nancy. God bless you.

GRACE: Thank you.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I just wanted to know, will these children be able to be tracked by CPS? Will there be enough caseworkers, if they`re returned home, to track them?

GRACE: You know what? Doubtful, very, very doubtful because the way that Child Protective Services works -- let`s bring in the lawyers. Let`s unleash all of them. Joining me tonight, Richard Herman, Michael Mazzariello, Jim Elliot, the city attorney for the town of Warner Robins, city of Warner Robins, Georgia. And also with us, a special guest, David Samuel Brown. He is the attorney ad litem for an FLDS child.

Out to, Jim Elliot. You`ve seen this as the city attorney in Warner Robins. The way Child Protective Services keeps up with children is through monitored visits. They go and visit the home. How difficult is it going to be to go and visit every one of these homes, Jim?

JAMES ELLIOT, JR., CITY ATTORNEY, WARNER ROBINS, GEORGIA: I think even a spokesperson for the compound yesterday said, If you don`t have a court order, if you don`t have a search warrant, I believe is what he said, then you can`t come in. Well, they`re not required to have a search warrant because they`re not investigating criminal activity anyway. They`re there to protect the children. And so their routine opportunity to observe the children has completely been stymied now.

GRACE: Let`s go out to David Samuel Brown. He is the attorney ad litem for FLDS children. David, thank you for being with us. What do you make of today`s ruling?

DAVID SAMUEL BROWN, ATTORNEY AD LITEM FOR FLDS CHILDREN: Well, I think the court got it right. I think the CPS basically blew the case. They lumped the good people with the bad people. They put everybody together, and then they just tried to just steamroller it. And the court really had to say, Look, you didn`t do what you were supposed to do, which was give us an individual case of an individual child being in imminent physical harm. That`s what they needed to show, and they -- the court said they didn`t show it.

GRACE: OK, David, I`ve got a question. The FLDS functions under such secrecy that even right now, 100 children, approximately 100 children, we still don`t know who their biological mom and dad is, OK? The marriages of young girls as young as 13 are not out in the open. There are not marriage certificates. They don`t come into town and get married in the local courthouse or file papers. So how is this ever supposed to be uncovered?

BROWN: Well, that makes it hard. And in no way should it be that these underage girls are being married, and that needs to be stopped. And what CPS has to do is figure out a way to go in and protect these girls by -- and do it the way they`re supposed to do it, step by step.

GRACE: And what way would that be? What way would that be?

BROWN: The way to do that would be to file an individual case against individual people and have a court order to do the investigation. There should be no problem with that, but they have to do it one by one.

The court did not say that CPS was wrong in going in or that they could not go in and take the children away. The court did not say that. The court said that at the 14-day hearing, at that point, they had to have the individual case-by-case adversarial hearing showing imminent physical harm. And the court is saying at that point, CPS basically blew it.

GRACE: Out to the lines. Jason in Michigan. Hi, Jason.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hi. Love your show. I`ve watched it for a long time. My two questions are this. One, is polygamy not illegal in all 50 states?

GRACE: Excellent question. What`s your second question?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My second question is, what makes the judges in the state of Texas, a three-panel judge, think that they`re above a federal law?

GRACE: Out to Michael Board. Polygamy is illegal in every state. And I believe Jason`s question is right on regarding the ruling that seemingly ignores the obvious evidence of polygamy. Think of the "bishop`s papers." Think of all of these women who refuse to give last names or state who the father to all these children are because they`re all sharing the same husband. The reality is, though, at this stage, we`re only in a civil proceeding. We`re not to the point of the criminal prosecution on polygamy.

BOARD: Right. We are in just child custody hearings. Remember, the burden of proof for child custody hearings is a lot lower than criminal charges. Criminal charges, you have to do a burden of proof -- you know, you`ve seen the law shows -- a burden of proof beyond a reasonable doubt, which...

GRACE: Actually, Michael, we`re all lawyers. But go ahead.

BOARD: Yes, exactly. You know what I`m talking about. Child welfare -- I`m trying to explain this. Child welfare, the burden of proof is so low in these cases that they don`t need beyond a reasonable doubt to make a burden -- to make their case. What they need is the preponderance of evidence. In this case, it`s hard to believe that you can`t show the preponderance of evidence just merely like we found on the "bishop`s papers."

Like one case, Leroy Steed (ph). According to these "bishop`s papers," he`s 46. He`s got eight wives. One of them is 16 years old. He admits that. That should be enough in Texas to present bigamy charges.

Oh, and an update. Yes, one of his wives was in court earlier this week. Yes, the CPS said they couldn`t find Leroy Steed. Chances are, he`s long gone.

GRACE: Back to Flora Jessop, former polygamist child bride. Flora, the reality is, while these judges are sitting up in their posh offices in the appeals division and they`re ruling that there are to be individual hearings for each and every child, the reality is that`s not the way the FLDS lives. They live communally. Children really aren`t even sure who their biological mom is. Explain that.

JESSOP: Well, the children are taken away from their biological parents at about 1 year of age and given to a -- they`re raised communally. In all of the paperwork from the FLDS, they refer to these women as caretakers, not as mothers. These kids don`t know who their parents are. And in many cases, they don`t know who their dads are.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Can I please tell them, tell the children good- bye? No. You go to the bus. No. You can`t ask anything.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How do you renounce Jesus and then still say you`re a Christian? It`s what the state is trying to force us to do. And I will tell it over the board, it will never happen. You can`t call yourself a Mormon and renounce Joseph Smith any more than you can call yourself FLDS and renounce the Prophet of Warren.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They didn`t remove the 400 kids because of polygamy. They removed the 400 kids because they came out to the ranch, they saw something was funny, and all the people on the ranch started telling them funny stories. That`s why they believe there`s a toxic environment.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: Three appellate judges in Texas have ruled that all these 400 children are headed back to the compound, to live life behind compound walls.

Straight out to the lines. To Karen in Alabama. Hi, Karen.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hi, Nancy. I love your show and your children.

GRACE: Thank you. Thank you very much.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My question is, how would the children be reunited with their parents if the parents do not consent to the DNA testing?

GRACE: How can that be, Jenny Hoff? Jenny joining us from the courthouse.

HOFF: Well, most of the parents actually have consented to DNA testing. Those results just haven`t come back yet. They`ve been sent to a lab in North Carolina, and I`ve heard they`ve done more DNA tests the last couple of weeks than they did all of last year. So it`s taking a long time.

Every parent I`ve spoken with did consent to DNA testing. At least, every mom did, and I know some fathers were here, asking if they could take those DNA tests now. So when those results come back, we`re not going to be wondering where those 100 children belong.

GRACE: Well, I believe the question is...

HOFF: We`ll know who their parents are.

GRACE: I believe the question is about the children where the parents didn`t show up, where one or both parents did not show up. How can they be reunited if the parents did not take DNA testing? All the parents did not take DNA testing.

HOFF: Well, I know they`ve been serving some civil papers around here for any parent that shows up in court, serving them papers that say they do need to take those DNA tests. But if this court order stays, they`re probably just going to send the kids back to where they came from, from the ranch.

GRACE: To Dr. Bethany Marshall, psychoanalyst and author. What effect is this going to have on the children?

BETHANY MARSHALL, PSYCHOANALYST: Well, the biggest one, if they`re being sexually abused, they`re going to be terrified. Flora Jessop pointed out these kids don`t have primary relationships with their mothers. So who`s going to process for them what happened? Who`s going to organize their experience of why they`re going back and forth?

And then when sexual abuse victims are abandoned and failed to be protected by their own mothers and then the larger court structure fails to protect them, it solidifies their feelings of being a victim and their sense of hopelessness in the world. And then also child monitoring, visitation is going to be really difficult for CPS workers.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We definitely have a choice. Nobody is forced. We are not abused.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And everyone can say the same thing.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: But are there any young women ages 16 and under who marry out here? And how often does that happen?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It`s not real common.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How young would you say is the youngest girl you`ve see married out here?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Probably 16.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The children have got to come home soon.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Please help us get our children back. We need our children.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They want their kids back, and I think that is what they`re going to get. But this court really did find that the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services could not be the sole conservator for these kids.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: Let`s unleash the lawyers -- Jim Elliot, the city attorney for the city of Warner Robins, David Samuel Brown, attorney ad litem for some of the FLDS children, Michael Mazzariello, Richard Herman, both defense attorneys here in New York.

To you, Michael Mazzariello. Response?

MICHAEL MAZZARIELLO, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: I think that they are going to get the children back. The court ruling was correct, Nancy, because CPS did not give them the evidence they needed. I found interesting the footnotes. One of the footnotes said that you could get married in Texas at age 16 with parental consent. It`s almost as if the court, Nancy, said, Go get the parents and see if they got consent. And they went one step further and said a minor under 16 could get married, if by court order.

GRACE: Richard?

RICHARD HERMAN, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Nancy, we should be applauding those appellate judges, applauding them. CPS got some prank phone call from someone, made some wild accusations, got a state court judge to issue a warrant...

GRACE: OK, Stop. Stop, Richard.

HERMAN: ... went in and took 468 children!

GRACE: Richard, if you can stop, stop. Could you explain to me why we have multiple underage girls pregnant, that CPS has right now? And those are community condoned.

HERMAN: Five, Nancy. They have five.

GRACE: Yes, explain it. Explain it.

HERMAN: They only have five.

GRACE: So what? Isn`t one enough?

(CROSSTALK)

HERMAN: Four hundred and sixty-eight children were removed. It`s outrageous!

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED ATTORNEY: The evidence was there were five girls that they found that were pregnant that were minors. That was their evidence. The evidence was that they think FLDS has a belief system that promotes underage marriage. The evidence was these children were there at the ranch. That`s not enough.

They felt like this religion had this belief system and that anyone who belonged to this religion must have this belief system. And that is actually contrary to the evidence that was introduced at trial, and the court of appeals just pointed that out.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: A three-panel -- three judges sitting on a panel have decided that all of these children rescued from behind compound walls are headed straight back to the compound. They have, in fact, said if the lower judge does not amend her order in 10 days, they will give their own order sending the children back.

Now, in lieu of an appeal, an emergency appeal on the part of the state, these children are headed back behind compound walls.

To Flora Jessop, former child bride of a polygamous union -- Flora, everyone -- all the defense attorneys are arguing this was wrong because each child should have been handled individually. But what I don`t think they understand is this is a community. We have five known young girls that have just given birth. The -- it`s not just about those five. It`s about the fact that they were wedded to much older men by the community.

The community condoned it. These are the rules of the community, to have secret marriages forced on young girls. We already know of five. How many more do we have to know of before the panel of judges can accept that this is what goes on behind these compound walls?

FLORA JESSOP, FMR. POLYGAMIST & CHILD BRIDE, EXEC. DIRECTOR OF THE CHILD PROTECTION PROJECT: You know, I`m not sure how to answer that, Nancy. There -- we`ve brought forward hundreds of underage marriages in this cult to the authorities in Utah and Arizona, and I`m not sure what it`s going to take.

I will tell you that, if these children get sent back -- the attorney for the FLDS has already stated that the parents will not keep their children on that compound because they`re afraid of CPS coming back in. These children will be taken to their compounds in Mexico and Canada, and they`ll disappear into the ether. These children will never be seen again.

If CPS has no children, CPS has no case.

GRACE: And Flora, they will be brought up just like you were brought up.

JESSOP: That`s right.

GRACE: So could you please explain how you were brought up, what you witnessed in a polygamist -- in a polygamous community.

JESSOP: You know, we were taught as children that our only worth was to have as many babies as possible to build up our husband`s kingdom. The women have no rights to those children. The women have no right and no voice. Those -- you don`t see women and the girls with the keys to those gates. We were trapped in a cycle of horrifying abuses.

They don`t beat you so that the bruises show. That`s why -- one of the reasons why they bear the long dresses and cover their bodies. They beat you in places where the bruises aren`t going to be seen. They don`t touch your face. The emotional abuse, the psychological abuse, though, that`s the worst of it.

You know, this isn`t a religion. This is a white supremacist cult. They teach these kids hate. They teach them violence. They teach them that everybody outside this group is disciples from Satan. These children are brought up in terror and horror. And if you have the audacity of getting pregnant when you`re -- in your wife training by your father, they`ll give you an abortion with no anesthesia as punishment because if you were faithful enough, then you`re not supposed to get pregnant.

And so you`re being sinful if you have -- if you happen to get pregnant by your father.

GRACE: So to you, Michael Mazzariello and Richard Herman, you think you two New York attorneys know more about it than Flora Jessop who lived through it and managed to escape?

First you, Mazzariello.

MICHAEL MAZZARIELLO, DEFENSE ATTORNEY, HOST OF "CLOSING ARGUMENTS": I don`t think I know more than her, Nancy. I know that the court of appeals -- the third circuit here had a set of facts to go with. If they had presented the evidence -- and I`m mad, Nancy. I`m mad CPS didn`t do that. If children had broken bones, if children were abused, present that evidence.

Let those three judges sitting in the high office there come down and say there is evidence. There is proof. They had nothing, Nancy.

GRACE: Yes. Well, you didn`t sound too mad before.

What about it, Richard Herman?

RICHARD HERMAN, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Well, Nancy, if Miss Jessop had testified in Texas, maybe the result would be different. But CPS had a burden under the Texas family code.

GRACE: You know what? You know what you`re doing? You are putting form above substance, and you know you`re doing it. As a matter of fact, Jim Elliott, this order actually refers -- it acknowledges the young girls.

JIM ELLIOT, JR., CITY ATTORNEY, TOWN OF WARREN ROBINS, GA.: Well, it makes clear that there`s a pattern within the cult of, as soon as a young girl reaches puberty, then she`s -- can be married and can have children.

GRACE: You know, it`s amazing to me. It`s like the blind man trying to determine -- the three blind men trying to determine what they`ve got as they`re feeling the elephant. One has the trunk. One has the stomach. And one has the tail. And they still don`t know what they`ve got even when they`ve got it right there in their hands.

Out to the lines, Josephine in Pennsylvania. Hi, Josephine.

JOSEPHINE, PENNSYLVANIA RESIDENT: Hi. I wanted to know is, if these women have been committing welfare fraud all these years, are they going to be prosecuted? And also, if the children go back, can they get welfare for them again, or do they go after the fathers?

GRACE: What about it, Michael Board?

MICHAEL BOARD, REPORTER, WOAI NEWSRADIO: Well, yes. If they -- if the Texas district attorney, the main lawyer in Texas, is investigating this case. He`s been brought in to investigate this. He`s got his big guns looking at this case here to see what sort of charges they can bring against these people. And he said he -- people from his office has told me that, even if they leave the state of Texas, they still will go after them.

GRACE: Out to Dr. Jennifer Shu, pediatrician and co-author of "Heading Home with Your Newborn from Birth to Reality." She is an expert in her field.

Dr. Shu, thank you for being with us. Regarding the 41 known broken bones of these children, how can you date injuries to determine when they occurred, such as broken bones?

DR. JENNIFER SHU, PEDIATRICIAN, CO-AUTHOR OF "HEADING HOME W/YOUR NEWBORN": Well, one of the things that doctors look for when trying to diagnose child abuse is to look for multiple fractures that are of different ages. And on X-ray, you can tell if the bones are at different stages of healing.

Another thing to look for would be to look for bruises that are in different stages of healing, especially bruises that are in the shape of a hand or an object or anything that shows a type of twisting movement.

GRACE: I want to go to John Lucich, former investigator and author of "Cyber Lies."

John, yesterday the sect members wouldn`t allow authorities back onto the ranch. Are you concerned at all about how evidence is going to be obtained from this point forward to prove these cases?

JOHN LUCICH, INVESTIGATOR, AUTHOR OF "CYBER LIES": They`ll eventually get back on. All they have to do is go out and get a court order to get back on, you know, like the gentleman said before that he has every right to be on there. The fact that they denied that, they`ll go back and get a court order.

The one thing that they should be concerned about going forward is the possible -- them not letting them back on and having to do that with force and then having a tragedy going forward.

GRACE: Like Waco. Well, these kids are going to be long gone as soon as they are reunited with their parents.

Bethany Marshall, are any of them ever going to be brought to justice?

BETHANY MARSHALL, PSYCHOANALYST, AUTHOR OF "DEALBREAKERS": You know, I -- it`s hard to say. But CPS has a hard road to hoe because, with visitation with family members where there`s predators in their midst, the family members will move the predators out when CPS comes to visit, and then they move the predators right back in again.

They say, well, little Johnny couldn`t be molesting his sister. So I`m just going to send him out that back hall when CPS workers come in the front. So how are they going to check on these families with these huge communal living situations? It is a sex offender`s paradise.

GRACE: When we come back, a guy that roams the halls, even the operating rooms of crowded children`s hospital. Medical coat, scrubs, stethoscope. One thing missing, the medical degree. He`s not a doctor and it`s all on surveillance video. Why is he posing as a doctor?

And tonight at your request, the twins saw mommy wearing a hat to the grocery store this morning, and this is what happened. I`ll be posting these on the Web tonight. I hope you like them.

Tonight we support and salute our troops.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARY MATTHEWS, NORTH CAROLINA RESIDENT: My name is Mary Matthews, and I`m at Camp LeJeune, North Carolina, and I would love to send a salute to my husband, First Sergeant John Matthews with CLD 6, and to his brother, First Sergeant Steve Matthews who`s with First Battalion 9th Marines.

We support them and their Marines completely, and we wish for them to stay safe.

And Babe, I can`t wait for you to come home. We miss and we love you lots. God bless and sympathize to all of our serving military members.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(NEWSBREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: A phony doctor caught on video at a Jacksonville children`s hospital. Police say the man was walking around the hospital and even entered an operating room. The man armed with all you need to impersonate a doctor -- lob coat, stethoscope, I.D. badge -- ran from the hospital after staff began to question him.

A hospital employee later found all the items under a car in the hospital parking garage, including the I.D. badge, which had a cutout picture of an unknown child on it. Police say there have been recent thefts at other local area hospitals and are trying to determine if this hospital is the most recent victim.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GRACE: Out to Eben Brown, investigative reporter. Who is this guy?

EBEN BROWN, INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER: Well, no one knows, Nancy. It seems to be a bit of a mystery. He was seen on surveillance video, walking around, dressed up, kind of like what you think a doctor would wear even -- apparently even had a stethoscope. He was seen walking around this children`s hospital in Jacksonville, Wolfson Children`s Hospital, and eventually questioned by someone sometime after he found his way into an operating room.

GRACE: And what happened when he was questioned?

BROWN: Well be the person who questioned him noticed that he smelled of alcohol. And when she brought this to his attention, he took off. He ran off and was never seen again.

But another employee the very next day in the parking lot of the hospital found his bag underneath a car, and it contained not only his stethoscope and his little clipboard that he was walking around, but also an I.D. for a hospital -- for actually a different hospital in Jacksonville. And on that I.D. card where you would normally have the little mug shot was a cut out and taped on photo of a child, an unknown child.

GRACE: Out to Ken Jefferson joining us from the Jacksonville Sheriff`s Department.

Sir, thank you for being with us. Very, very disturbing. I recall early on in my pregnancy I was in the area and was rushed to a hospital in Jacksonville where they treated me and helped me and the twins. Wonder how I would feel if I was sitting there right in the middle of an examination and this guy happened to pop into the room.

Who is this guy? What leads do you have?

KEN JEFFERSON, PIO, JACKSONVILLE SHERIFF`S DEPT.: Well, first of all, you probably wouldn`t know that he was faking or pretending to be a doctor, just like all the other people didn`t know until they smelled alcohol on his breath.

Now that`s the compelling question, Nancy. Who is this guy? We`d really like to know that. That`s why we`re hoping that by use of the surveillance pictures that we were able to retrieve from the hospital, we can give this thing all of the attention that it needs so that someone can identify this individual.

He`s dressed in a lab coat with a stethoscope around his neck, with scrubs on, and he`s walking through as though he`s an official. He`s got credentials hanging from his lab coat just like any other doctor. The only difference was he had them turned backwards. And even with it turned backwards, who`s going to challenge a doctor and tell him to turn his I.D. around. But maybe in light of this, some training may be done to try to correct that.

GRACE: Mr. Jefferson, or let me say Sheriff Jefferson, what do we believe his intent was roaming these hospital halls?

JEFFERSON: Well, right now we don`t know, but, you know, we could speculate that he maybe was placing it under surveillance, as the reporter said. The local hospitals in that area had experienced some thefts of laptops and purses, items that`s generally lying around or in plain view. We`re not saying that this individual is responsible for it, but he could be, and we`re looking into that possibility.

GRACE: Well, I can assure him of this, Dr. Bethany Marshall, he`s up to no good. Why would he be -- I mean, there`s no good scenario here. There`s no good answer, all right? Why would he be pretending to be a doctor and roaming various hospital halls?

Hey, I`m happy if all he took was the laptop. How do I know he`s not molesting children or stealing drugs? I mean, this guy could be doing anything.

MARSHALL: Let`s hope he didn`t perform surgery, right? I mean you know.

GRACE: OK.

MARSHALL: .there`s such a bizarre.

GRACE: Now, thank you for putting that into my head.

MARSHALL: You know, what stands out to me is how bizarre he is that he has a child`s picture taped to his I.D. He stashes the clothes in a computer bag under someone`s car like he doesn`t have his own car. So I thought of somebody that perhaps he has mental health issues, maybe a vagrant, maybe someone who has some delusions.

GRACE: This guy is not a vagrant. All right?

MARSHALL: You know what? It doesn`t seem like a very high-level crime. I think we`re going to find that it`s really very low motivation.

GRACE: You know what, Bethany?

MARSHALL: OK.

GRACE: You may not think it`s a high-level crime until he pops up at the foot of your hospital bed.

MARSHALL: I can`t argue with that.

GRACE: I don`t know what you`re laughing about. I`m serious. What if this guy pops up in your child`s room? How funny is that? That`s a hoot.

MARSHALL: OK. I stand corrected. But I think he`s much more low functioning than we might think, despite the fact that he penetrated the hospital. So I`m thinking petty theft or proximity to drugs.

GRACE: Low functioning. So he has managed to trick not one, but several hospitals. He`s caught on videotape. The sheriff still hasn`t caught him, and you say he`s low functioning. Did I just hear that?

MARSHALL: I did say low functioning because of the bizarre nature of the crime. And actually what`s also low functioning is the system in the hospital to protect the patients -- this fact that this guy got in.

GRACE: You`re right.

MARSHALL: But when someone is really motivated and has delusions, they can go a long, long way because people in hospitals are not watching out for bizarre behavior. But bizarre behavior speaks of mental health problems. So that`s what I wanted to speak to.

GRACE: To Dr. Jennifer Shu, a pediatrician, what type of security measures should be in place? Can I just march into a hospital wearing a doctor`s coat and swinging a stethoscope and get access to hospital rooms?

SHU: Well, Nancy, I think he was very creative in getting the outfit on because most people wouldn`t even have to do that to get through. To come into the CNN studio tonight, I had to go past three security guards.

GRACE: So did I.

SHU: . and five electronic card access doors. When I go see a patient in the hospital as a family member without my doctor`s stuff on, I don`t have to stop by and answer to anyone. So he didn`t even have to get that outfit on to get through.

What I think people do is they get lulled into the false sense of security that being in a hospital where people are trying to help other people. It should be a sacred place like a place of worship, and people can get a little bit relaxed and complacent about safety and security. But as you can see, this hospital has a camera system in place, which is great.

The other thing is that in hospitals where I`ve worked, we teach patients to look at the I.D. badge, check to make sure the face matches the person, and in certain units, such as a mother-baby delivery unit, we have special stickers that allowed staff to get right onto that floor. So there are systems in place.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEFFERSON: It concerns us that somebody would do this. It`s not really clear as to how he was able to get in, but, you know, with so many legitimate doctors and nurses coming and going, it`s really hard to keep up with that in mind where you could -- I`m sure you can probably take that on somebody else as going -- who`s going to tell the doctor.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GRACE: Out to the lines. Let`s go to Madge in Alabama. Hi, Madge.

MADGE, ALABAMA RESIDENT: Hi.

GRACE: What`s your question, dear?

MADGE: I want to know what can be done about people going in. There`s too many children being kidnapped from the hospitals.

GRACE: You`re absolutely correct. What about it? To Ken Jefferson with the Jacksonville Sheriff`s Department. What can be done?

JEFFERSON: Well, certainly, Nancy -- and thank the caller for her concern. Certainly that has to be left up to the individual hospitals to set up their own set of security guidelines. I will say this, though. This particular hospital, their staff was alert enough not to ignore the smell of alcohol coming from breath of this individual as he passed them or as he approached them.

And then they questioned him. And when he jetted out of the area, they immediately contacted the security officers to bring them aware of it. And then.

GRACE: Well, I`ll tell you, Mr. Jefferson, I appreciate your trust in the hospitals, but so far the security has allowed this guy to roam around and God only knows what else.

To Carol in Nebraska. Hi, Carol.

CAROL, NEBRASKA RESIDENT: Hi, Nancy. I`d like to congratulate you on your twins. And you`re my hero.

GRACE: Thank you. Thank you. And I don`t want to go too hard on the hospitals down there in Jacksonville because they helped me and the twins. But I got to tell you, I`m worried about this. What about it, Carol?

CAROL: Yes, I am, too, Nancy. This is horrible. I mean, what if this guy is a child molester? I mean.

GRACE: What`s your question, love?

CAROL: That is my question.

GRACE: Yes, you know what? Ken, how do we know all he has done is maybe steal a couple of laptops?

JEFFERSON: Well, he`s not done anything in this hospital that we`re aware of.

GRACE: OK.

JEFFERSON: . because the hospital has not reported anything. Adjacent hospitals have reported that there have been laptops and purses stolen. We don`t know if this is the individual that`s responsible for that. But of course.

GRACE: Everyone, let`s stop and remember Army Specialist Richard Burress, 25, Naples, Florida, killed, Iraq. Combat engineer, awarded the Bronze Star, Purple Heart. Had a smile that lit up a room. Loved God, spending time with family, friends, Iraqi children, fishing, canoeing. Leaves behind parents, Richard and Tina, three brothers, one sister, widow Tabitha and daughter Elisa.

Richard Burress, American hero.

Thanks for being with us -- to all of our guests and especially to you for being with us. I`ll see you tomorrow night 8:00 sharp Eastern. And until then, good night, friend.

END

Thursday, May 22, 2008

cyclone earthquake

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyclone_Nargis

Cyclone Nargis (JTWC designation: 01B, also known as Very Severe Cyclonic Storm Nargis) was a strong tropical cyclone that caused the deadliest natural disaster in the recorded history of Burma (officially known as Myanmar).[6] The cyclone made landfall in the country on May 2, 2008, causing catastrophic destruction and at least 80,000 fatalities with a further 56,000 people still missing.[7] However, Labutta Township alone was reported to have 80,000 dead and some have estimated the death toll may be well over 100,000.[8] Damage is estimated at over $10 billion (USD), which made it the most damaging cyclone ever recorded in this basin. It was also Burma's worst natural disaster overall, as well as being the deadliest.[9]

Nargis is the deadliest named cyclone in the North Indian Ocean Basin, as well as the second deadliest named cyclone of all time, behind Typhoon Nina of 1975. Including unnamed storms, Nargis is the 8th deadliest cyclone of all time, but an uncertainty between the deaths of Nargis and other cyclones, like the 1991 Bangladesh Cyclone could put Nargis as 7th deadliest or higher, because deaths are still being reported. Nargis was the first tropical cyclone to strike the country since Cyclone Mala made landfall in 2006.

The United Nations projects that as many as 1 million were left homeless; and the World Health Organization "has received reports of malaria outbreaks in the worst-affected area."[51] Yet

out of population of 55 million

1/55 = 2% death rate

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2008_Sichuan_earthquake

The 2008 Sichuan earthquake (Chinese: 四川大地震), which measured at 8.0 Ms according to the China Seismological Bureau, and 7.9 Mw according to USGS, occurred at 14:28:01.42 CST (06:28:01.42 UTC) on 12 May 2008 in Sichuan province of China. It was also known as the Wenchuan earthquake (Chinese: 汶川大地震), after the earthquake's epicenter in Wenchuan County in Sichuan province. The epicenter was 80 kilometres (50 mi) west-northwest of Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan, with a depth of 19 kilometres (12 mi).[2] The earthquake was felt as far away as Beijing (1,500 km away) and Shanghai (1,700 km away), where office buildings swayed with the tremor.[5] The earthquake was also felt in nearby countries.

Official figures (as of May 22, 10:00 CST) state that 51,151 are confirmed dead, including 50,651 in Sichuan province, and 288,431 injured.[4] Tens of thousands are missing, approximately 14,000 of them buried, and eight provinces were affected.[6] The earthquake left about 4.8 million people homeless.[7] It was the deadliest and strongest earthquake to hit China since the 1976 Tangshan earthquake, which killed over 240,000 people.

Fifty-two major aftershocks, ranging in magnitude from 4.4 to 6.0, were recorded within 72 hours of the main tremor.[8] Preliminary rupture models of the earthquake indicated displacement of up to 9 meters along a fault approximately 240 km long by 20 km deep.[9] The earthquake generated deformations of the surface greater than 3 meters[10] and

300 km shake map

According to Chinese state officials, the quake caused 51,151 known deaths including 50,651 in Sichuan province, 29,328 people were missing, and nearly 300,000 injured, but this figure may increase as more reports come in.[4] This estimate includes 158 earthquake relief workers who had been killed in landslides as they tried to repair roads.[55][56]

One rescue team reported only 2,300 survivors from Yingxiu, out of a total population of about 9,000.[58] 3,000 to 5,000 people were killed in Beichuan county, Sichuan province alone, 10,000 injured and 80% of the buildings were destroyed. 8 schools were toppled in Dujiangyan.[59] A 56-year-old Taiwanese tourist was killed in Dujiangyan during a rescue attempt on the Lingyanshan Ropeway, where due to the earthquake 11 Taiwanese tourists had been trapped inside cable cars since May 13.[60] A 4-year-old Taiwanese was reported dead, and one missing.[4]

Rescuers search for survivors around a building in Beichuan, Sichuan province May 17, 2008.[Agencies]

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2008-05/18/content_6693475.htm

http://bbs2.news.163.com/bbs/dizhen/79220976.html

http://bbs2.news.163.com/bbs/dizhen/79019853.html

http://news.xinhuanet.com/society/2008-05/21/content_8220032.htm

aid helicoopter

Image:May12 2008 Sichuan, China earthquake shake map.jpg

300 km shake zone

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:May12_2008_Sichuan%2C_China_earthquake_shake_map.jpg

Image:ADBC Branch in BeiChuan after earthquake.jpg

Image:ADBC Branch in BeiChuan after earthquake.jpg

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Hopes Dwindle in Finding More China Quake Survivors


18 May 2008
Ho report - Download (MP3) audio clip
Ho report - Listen (MP3) audio clip

More than six days after a powerful earthquake struck southwestern China, hopes are dwindling that more trapped people will be found alive. The official death toll so far is more than 32,000, but is expected to surpass 50,000. China has begun three days of national mourning. As Stephanie Ho reports from Beijing, Chinese leaders have repeatedly said saving human lives is their number one priority.

A rescue helicopter flies over damaged buildings and debris following Monday's powerful earthquake in Beichuan, Southwestern Sichuan province, China, Sunday, 18 May 2008
A rescue helicopter flies over damaged buildings and debris following Monday's powerful earthquake in Beichuan, southwestern Sichuan province, China, 18 May 2008
More than 60 earthquake survivors were rescued in the disaster zone Saturday, but by Sunday, the numbers had fallen. Chinese media reported at least one successful rescue Sunday morning - a man recovered from a collapsed hospital in Beichuan.

Reporter Daniel Schearf said after the earthquake,
Beichuan looks like a war zone.

"My first image, when I turned the corner into the town, was just a pile of twisted rubble and concrete. It was a hill, it was a mountain, of what used to be buildings, and it just seemed to stretch on forever," he said. "I don't know how to describe it. It just seemed very surreal."

One rescue worker in Beichuan, Luo Tanfei, says his team, which includes sniffer dogs, has saved 10 people in different locations since the huge earthquake struck the region Monday.

Earthquake survivors carrying their belonging, evacuate to higher ground from center of earthquake-hit Beichuan County, Sichuan province, 17 May 2008
Earthquake survivors carrying their belonging, evacuate to higher ground from center of earthquake-hit Beichuan County, Sichuan province, 17 May 2008

But he says he does not have too much hope of finding more survivors in that part of the city because they have not found any more traces of life.

Chinese disaster relief efforts include nearly 150,000 soldiers, who have been actively supporting emergency work.

People's Liberation Army leaders spoke to reporters in Beijing Sunday, and emphasized that soldiers are facing hardships and working together with ordinary Chinese people.

Air Force Major General Ma Jian also made reassurances that all of China's nuclear facilities in the area are safe.

Rescuers search for earthquake survivors amongst the rubble of collapsed buildings in Beichuan county, Sichuan province, 17 May 2008
Rescuers search for earthquake survivors amongst the rubble of collapsed buildings in Beichuan county, Sichuan province, 17 May 2008

"Shortly after the earthquake hit, we have sent teams of the armed police and PLA men to ensure that these facilities are under very strict protection measures and there is no problem involved here," general Ma said.

The Chinese government has allocated nearly $560 million (four billion RMB) for earthquake relief. Donors, inside and outside of China, have already contributed $860 million in money and goods.

China's Ministry of Agriculture says the quake has damaged 33,000 hectares of farmland. At the same time, the tremor has led to the deaths of 12 .5 million heads of livestock and poultry, which health officials say pose a major sanitation risk.

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UK's Chinese community pays silent tribute to earthquake victims

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http://www.cryptome.cn/cn-quake/cn-quake.htm


17 May 2008

China earthquake photos 6 (May 16 and 17, 2008): http://cryptome.cn/cn-quake6/cn-quake6.htm

16 May 2008

China earthquake photos 5 (May 15 and 16, 2008): http://cryptome.cn/cn-quake5/cn-quake5.htm

15 May 2008

China earthquake photos 4 (May 14 and 15, 2008): http://cryptome.cn/cn-quake4/cn-quake4.htm

14 May 2008

China earthquake photos 3 (May 14, 2008): http://cryptome.cn/cn-quake3/cn-quake3.htm
China earthquake photos 2 (May 13 and 14, 2008): http://cryptome.cn/cn-quake2/cn-quake2.htm

13 May 2008. Updated 7:25AM ET.

12 May 2008


Associated Press Photos and Captions
[Image]

A Chinese woman mourns near two student's bodies pulled out from a collapsed school in Juyuan, southwestern China's Sichuan province, Tuesday, May 13, 2008. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

[Image]

A Chinese woman holding a child and an umbrella cries near the site of a school collapsed following Monday's 7.9 magnitude earthquake in Juyuan, southwestern China's Sichuan province, Tuesday, May 13, 2008. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

[Image]

A Chinese man mourns the death of a student near the site of a school that collapsed in Juyuan, southwestern China's Sichuan province, Tuesday, May 13, 2008. The death toll from a powerful earthquake in China that toppled buildings, schools and chemical plants climbed Tuesday to about 10,000, while untold numbers remained trapped after the country's worst quake in three decades. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

[Image]

Chinese residents mourn near the bodies of students retrieved from a school that collapsed in Juyuan, southwestern China's Sichuan province, Tuesday, May 13, 2008. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

[Image]

Local residents walk past in destroyed buildings in the earthquake-affected Mianyang, southwest China's Sichuan Province, Tuesday, May 13, 2008. The death toll from a powerful earthquake in China that toppled buildings, schools and chemical plants climbed Tuesday to about 10,000, while untold numbers remained trapped after the country's worst quake in three decades. (AP Photo/Kyodo News) ** JAPAN OUT, NO SALES, MANDATORY CREDIT FOR COMMERCIAL USE ONLY IN NORTH AMERICA **

[Image]

Local residents run to get away from fallen rock in aftershock in the earthquake-affected Mianyang, southwest China's Sichuan Province, Tuesday, May 13, 2008. The death toll from a powerful earthquake in China that toppled buildings, schools and chemical plants climbed Tuesday to about 10,000, while untold numbers remained trapped after the country's worst quake in three decades. (AP Photo/Kyodo News) ** JAPAN OUT, NO SALES, MANDATORY CREDIT FOR COMMERCIAL USE ONLY IN NORTH AMERICA **

[Image]

Rescue workers carry out a young boy from the rubble of a collapsed house in Dujiangyan, a close city to the epicenter of the earthquake, in southwest China's Sichuan province Tuesday May 13, 2008. The death toll from a powerful earthquake in China that toppled buildings, schools and chemical plants climbed Tuesday to about 10,000, while untold numbers remained trapped after the country's worst quake in three decades. (AP Photo) ** CHINA OUT **

[Image]

In this photo released by China's Xinhua News Agency, relief soldiers carry out the wounded in the earthquake-affected Beichuan County, southwest China's Sichuan Province, Tuesday, May 13, 2008. The death toll from a powerful earthquake in China that toppled buildings, schools and chemical plants climbed Tuesday to about 10,000, while untold numbers remained trapped after the country's worst quake in three decades. (AP Photo/Xinhua, Chen Xie)

[Image]

Rescue workers pull out a young girl from under the rubble of a collapsed school in Juyuan, southwestern China's Sichuan province, Tuesday, May 13, 2008. The death toll from a powerful earthquake in China that toppled buildings, schools and chemical plants climbed Tuesday to about 10,000, while untold numbers remained trapped after the country's worst quake in three decades. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

[Image]

In this photo released by China's Xinhua News Agency, a wounded girl receives medical treatment at a makeshift ward in the earthquake-affected Liangping County, Chongqing, southwestern China, Tuesday, May 13, 2008. The death toll from a powerful earthquake in China that toppled buildings, schools and chemical plants climbed Tuesday to about 10,000, while untold numbers remained trapped after the country's worst quake in three decades. (AP Photo/Xinhua, Liu Chan)

[Image]

In this photo released by China's Xinhua News Agency, cars are buried in the debris of collapsed buildings after a powerful earthquake in Dujiangyan, southwest China's Sichuan Province, Monday May 12, 2008. State media reports that the death toll from a powerful earthquake in central China has climbed to nearly 10,000 in the worst-hit province. (AP Photo/Xinhua, Liu Hai)

[Image]

** EDS NOTE GRAPHIC CONTENT ** Residents look on as a body recovered from a collapsed school is carried away in Juyuan, southwestern China's Sichuan province,Tuesday, May 13, 2008. The death toll from a powerful earthquake in China that toppled buildings, schools and chemical plants climbed Tuesday to about 10,000, while untold numbers remained trapped after the country's worst quake in three decades. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

[Image]

In this photo released by China's Xinhua News Agency, a wounded resident, center, lies on a bed to receive treatment after Monday's powerful earthquake, in Longnan, northwest China's Gansu Province, Tuesday, May 13, 2008. State media reports that the death toll from the earthquake in central China has climbed to nearly 10,000 in the worst-hit province. (AP Photo/Xinhua, Han Chuanhao)

[Image]

In this photo released by China's Xinhua news agency, rescuers try to help a stranded student out of the debris at Wudu Primary School at Hanwang town in Mianzhu city, southwest China's Sichuan Province, Tuesday, May 13, 2008. China state media says that 10,000 people "remain buried" in rubble in Mianzhu near the epicenter of Monday's 7.9-magnitude earthquake that struck the country. (AP Photo/Xinhua, He Junchang)

[Image]

In this photo released by China's Xinhua News Agency, quake victims are seen in Dujiangyan city of southwest China's Sichuan Province Tuesday, May 13, 2008. A powerful earthquake toppled buildings, schools and chemical plants in central China on Monday, killing more than 8,700 people and trapping untold numbers in mounds of concrete, steel and earth in the worst quake in three decades. (AP Photo/Xinhua, Hou Dawei)

[Image]

In this photo released by China's Xinhua News Agency, local residents take shelter after a powerful earthquake in Longnan, northwest China's Gansu Province, Tuesday, May 13, 2008. State media reports that the death toll from Monday's earthquake in central China has climbed to nearly 10,000 in the worst-hit province. (AP Photo/Xinhua, Han Chuanhao)

[Image]

In this photo released China's Xinhua News Agency, residents rest near collapsed building in Mianzhu, about 60 kilometers (38 miles) from Wenchuan County, southwest China's Sichuan Province, Tuesday, May 13, 2008. A powerful earthquake toppled buildings, schools and chemical plants in central China on Monday, killing more than 8,700 people and trapping untold numbers in mounds of concrete, steel and earth in the worst quake in three decades. (AP Photo/Xinhua, Yuan Jian)

[Image]

In this photo released by China's Xinhua News Agency, residents take shelter in tents after a 7.9-magnitude quake, in Dujiangyan city of southwest China's Sichuan Province, Monday, May 12, 2008. The powerful earthquake toppled buildings, schools and chemical plants in central China on Monday, killing more than 8,700 people and trapping untold numbers in mounds of concrete, steel and earth in the worst quake in three decades. (AP Photo/Xinhua, Yuan Jian)

[Image]

Local residents stand on a road after an earthquake in Chengdu, in southwest China's Sichuan province Monday, May 12, 2008. A massive earthquake toppled buildings across a wide area of central China on Monday, killing more than 8,533 people, trapping hundreds of students under the rubble of schools and causing a toxic chemical leak in one of the worst quakes in decades. (AP Photo/Color China Photo) ** CHINA OUT **

[Image]

In this photo distributed by the official Chinese news agency Xinhua, newly born babies are moved at a hospital after an earthquake occurred in Nanchong, a city in southwest China's Sichuan Province on Monday May 12, 2008. A massive earthquake has toppled buildings across a wide area of central China on Monday, killing more than 8,533 people, trapping hundreds of students under the rubble of schools and spilling ammonia from a chemical plant. (AP Photo / Cheng Chaosheng, Xinhua)

[Image]

In this photo distributed by the official Xinhua news agency, rescuers try to save wounded students at Juyuan Middle School in Juyuan Township of Dujiangyan City, about 100 kilometers from the epicenter in Wenchuan county of southwest China's Sichuan province, on Monday May 12, 2008. Nearly 900 students here were feared buried when a high school building collapsed in the earthquake, Xinhua said. (AP Photo/Xinhua, Chen Xie)

[Image]

A crack on an apartment building is seen following a massive earthquake in Lanzhou in northwest China's Gansu province, Monday, May 12, 2008. A 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck central China, killing at least 107 peoples. (AP Photo) ** CHINA OUT **

[Image]

Chinese women cry on a street after an earthquake strike in Chengdu of southwest China's Sichuan province, Monday, May 12, 2008. Thousands of soldiers and police were dispatched to central China after a massive earthquake Monday killed at least 107 people and buried nearly 900 schoolchildren. (AP Photo/Color China Photo) ** CHINA OUT **

[Image]

Hospital patients wait outside after an earthquake in Fuyang, in China's Anhui province Monday, May 12, 2008. A powerful, magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck mountainous central China on Monday, killing five people when two primary schools and a water tower collapsed, state media reported. (AP Photo/Greg Baker)

[Image]

Chinese students help a fainted classmate evacuate to a playground for safety in Qionglai city, southwest China's Sichuan province, Monday May 12, 2008, after a magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck mountainous central China. (AP Photo) ** CHINA OUT **

[Image]

Chinese students evacuated to a playground for safety in Qionglai city, southwest China's Sichuan province, Monday May 12, 2008, after a magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck mountainous central China. (AP Photo) ** CHINA OUT **

[Image]

In this photo distributed by the official Xinhua news agency, rescuers search for students at Juyuan Middle School in Juyuan Township of Dujiangyan City, about 100 kilometers from the epicenter in Wenchuan county of southwest China's Sichuan province, on Monday May 12, 2008. Nearly 900 students here were feared buried when a high school building collapsed in the earthquake, Xinhua said. (AP Photo/Xinhua, Chen Xie)

[Image]

In this photo distributed by the official Xinhua news agency, people look upwards after running out of high buildings in Nanjing, northwest China, after a powerful, magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck mountainous central China on Monday May 12, 2008. (AP Photo/Xinhua, Han Yuqing)

[Image]

Residents run on a debris-covered road following an earthquake in Chengdu of southwest China's Sichuan province, Monday, May 12, 2008. Thousands of soldiers and police were dispatched to central China after a massive earthquake Monday killed at least 107 people and buried nearly 900 schoolchildren. (AP Photo/Color China Photo) ** CHINA OUT **

[Image]

In this photo distributed by the official Chinese news agency Xinhua, citizens donate blood for the wounded after an earthquake in Chengdu, in southwest China's Sichuan province Monday, May 12, 2008. A massive earthquake toppled buildings across a wide area of central China on Monday, killing more than 8,533 people, trapping hundreds of students under the rubble of schools and causing a toxic chemical leak in one of the worst quakes in decades. (AP Photo / Xiao Lin, Xinhua )

[Image]

Rescuers search for victims in the debris of a hospital after the earthquake in Dujiangyan, in southwest China's Sichuan province Monday, May 12, 2008. A massive earthquake toppled buildings across a wide area of central China on Monday, killing more than 8,533 people, trapping hundreds of students under the rubble of schools and causing a toxic chemical leak in one of the worst quakes in decades. (AP Photo/Color China Photo) ** CHINA OUT **

[Image]

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao speaks to people buried at a ruined hospital in Dujiangyan, a city in southwest China's Sichuan Province on Monday May 12, 2008. A massive earthquake has toppled buildings across a wide area of central China on Monday, killing more than 8,533 people, trapping hundreds of students under the rubble of schools and spilling ammonia from a chemical plant. (AP Photo / Yao Dawei, Xinhua)

[Image]

Rescuers search for victims in the debris of a hospital after the earthquake in Dujiangyan, in southwest China's Sichuan province Monday, May 12, 2008. A massive earthquake toppled buildings across a wide area of central China on Monday, killing more than 8,533 people, trapping hundreds of students under the rubble of schools and causing a toxic chemical leak in one of the worst quakes in decades. (AP Photo/Color China Photo) ** CHINA OUT **

[Image]

People take care of patients outside a hospital after it was evacuated following an earthquake in Chengdu, in southwest China's Sichuan province Monday, May 12, 2008. A massive earthquake toppled buildings across a wide area of central China on Monday, killing more than 8,533 people, trapping hundreds of students under the rubble of schools and causing a toxic chemical leak in one of the worst quakes in decades. (AP Photo / Color China Photo) ** CHINA OUT **

[Image]

Chinese Pemier Wen Jiabao picks up a shoe and a schoolbag at a destroyed school in Dujiangyan, a city in southwest China's Sichuan Province on Monday May 12, 2008. A massive earthquake has toppled buildings across a wide area of central China on Monday, killing more than 8,533 people, trapping hundreds of students under the rubble of schools and spilling ammonia from a chemical plant. (AP Photo / Yao Dawei, Xinhua)

[Image]

In this photo distributed by the official Chinese news agency Xinhua, a man tries to find usable things among the debris of collapsed buildings in Dujiangyan, in southwest China's Sichuan province, on Monday May 12, 2008. (AP Photo/Xinhua, Chen Xie)

[Image]

In this photo distributed by the official Chinese news agency Xinhua, the debris of collapsed buildings can be seen in Dujiangyan, a city in southwest China's Sichuan Province on Monday May 12, 2008. A massive earthquake has toppled buildings across a wide area of central China on Monday, killing more than 8,533 people, trapping hundreds of students under the rubble of schools and spilling ammonia from a chemical plant. (AP Photo / Zheng Yue, Xinhua)

[Image]

People take care of patients in a shelter outside a hospital after the earthquake in Dujiangyan, in southwest China's Sichuan province Monday, May 12, 2008. A massive earthquake toppled buildings across a wide area of central China on Monday, killing more than 8,533 people, trapping hundreds of students under the rubble of schools and causing a toxic chemical leak in one of the worst quakes in decades. (AP Photo / Color China Photo) ** CHINA OUT **

[Image]

In this photo distributed by the official Xinhua news agency, medical personnel prepare to give an emergency treatment to the wounded students at Juyuan Middle School in Juyuan Township of Dujiangyan City, about 100 kilometers from the epicenter in Wenchuan county of southwest China's Sichuan Province, on Monday May 12, 2008. (AP Photo/Xinhua, Chen Xie)

[Image]

People evacuate office buildings after a 7.5-magnitude earthquake in Beijing Monday, May 12, 2008. A 7.5-magnitude quake struck central China on Monday and was felt as far away as Thailand and Vietnam. Thousands of people evacuated buildings in Beijing, some 900 miles (1,500 kilometers) from the epicenter. The quake struck 57 miles (92 kilometers) northwest of the Sichuan provincial capital of Chengdu at 2:28 p.m. (0628 GMT), the U.S. Geological Survey said on its Web site. It said the 7.5-magnitude quake was centered 6.2 miles (10 kilometers) below the surface. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)

[Image]

A female patient, looks on, outside a hospital after the earthquake, in Chengdu of southwest China's Sichuan province, Monday, May 12, 2008. A massive earthquake struck central China on Monday, killing more than 7,600 people and trapping nearly 900 students under the rubble of their school, state media reported. (AP Photo/Color China Photo, HO) ** CHINA OUT **

[Image]

Nurses take care of patients at a temporary aid post after they were evacuated from a hospital after an earthquake in Chengdu, in southwest China's Sichuan province Monday, May 12, 2008. A massive earthquake toppled buildings across a wide area of central China on Monday, killing more than 8,533 people, trapping hundreds of students under the rubble of schools and causing a toxic chemical leak in one of the worst quakes in decades. (AP Photo/Color China Photo) ** CHINA OUT **

[Image]

In this photo distributed by the official Chinese news agency Xinhua, residents talk about the just happened earthquake near the debris of collapsed buildings in Dujiangyan, in southwest China's Sichuan province, on Monday May 12, 2008. (AP Photo/Xinhua, Chen Xie)

[Image]

In this photo taken on Monday May 12, 2008 and distributed the official Xinhua news agency, shown are the debris of collapsed buildings in Dujiangyan City of southwest

[Image]

In this photo distributed by the official Xinhua news agency, rescuers search for students at Juyuan Middle School in Juyuan Township of Dujiangyan City, about 100 kilometers from the epicenter in Wenchuan county of southwest China's Sichuan Province, on Monday May 12, 2008. (AP Photo/Xinhua, Jiang Yi)

[Image]

In this photo distributed by the official Xinhua news agency, people rush to rescue students at Juyuan Middle School in Juyuan Township of Dujiangyan City, about 100 kilometers from the epicenter in Wenchuan county of southwest China's Sichuan province, on Monday May 12, 2008. Nearly 900 students here were feared buried when a high school building collapsed in the earthquake, Xinhua said. (AP Photo/Xinhua, Chen Xie)

[Image]

A man walks down a staircase full of debris inside a hospital after an earthquake in Chengdu of southwest China's Sichuan province, Monday, May 12, 2008. Thousands of soldiers and police were dispatched to central China after a massive earthquake Monday killed at least 107 people and buried nearly 900 schoolchildren. (AP Photo/Color China Photo) ** CHINA OUT **

[Image]

In this photo distributed by the official Chinese news agency Xinhua, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, center, and Communist Party leaders arrange relief work of the earthquake during his flight for the disaster area on Monday May 12, 2008. Premier Wen flew into southwest China's Sichuan Province on Monday afternoon and left straight for the quake-hit county of Wenchuan to oversee rescue work there, Xinhua said. (AP Photo/Xinhua, Yao Dawei)

[Image]

Chinese people gather on a street after an earthquake in Chongqing, China, Monday, May 12, 2008. A 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck central China Monday, killing at least 107 peoples. (AP Photo/EyePress) ** CHINA OUT **

[Image]

Chinese people gather by the road after an earthquake evacuation from the buildings in downtown Beijing on Monday, May 12, 2008. A magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck mountainous central China on Monday, damaging buildings and roads and causing some injuries, the local government reported. (AP Photo/Alexander F. Yuan)

[Image]

In this photo distributed by the official Chinese news agency Xinhua, a street in Chengdu, capital of the Sichuan province in southwest China, is covered by water after a water pipe blew out during an earthquake on Monday May 12, 2008. A powerful, 7.8-magnitude earthquake rocked central China on Monday, shaking buildings and spreading panic in cities as far away as Beijing and the business hub of Shanghai. (AP Photo/Xinhua, Jiang Yi)

[Image]

In this photo distributed by the official Chinese news agency Xinhua, medical personnel give emergency treatment to an injured baby in Dujiangyan, a city in southwest China's Sichuan Province on Monday, May 12, 2008. A massive earthquake has toppled buildings across a wide area of central China on Monday, killing more than 8,533 people, trapping hundreds of students under the rubble of schools and spilling ammonia from a chemical plant. (AP Photo / Zheng Yue, Xinhua)

[Image]

People take care of patients outside a hospital after it was evacuated following an earthquake in Chengdu, in southwest China's Sichuan province Monday, May 12, 2008. A massive earthquake toppled buildings across a wide area of central China on Monday, killing more than 8,533 people, trapping hundreds of students under the rubble of schools and causing a toxic chemical leak in one of the worst quakes in decades. (AP Photo / Color China Photo) ** CHINA OUT **

[Image]

In this photo distributed by the official Chinese news agency Xinhua, residents gather on a street in Guiyang, capital of southwest China's Guizhou province, after an earthquake jolted the region on Monday May 12, 2008. (AP Photo/Xinhua, Yang Ying)

A Cryptome DVD is offered by Cryptome. Donate $25 for a DVD of the Cryptome 11.5-years archives of 43,000 files from June 1996 to January 2008 (~4.5 GB). Click Paypal or mail check/MO made out to John Young, 251 West 89th Street, New York, NY 10024. Archives include all files of cryptome.org, jya.com, cartome.org, eyeball-series.org and iraq-kill-maim.org. Cryptome offers with the Cryptome DVD an INSCOM DVD of about 18,000 pages of counter-intelligence dossiers declassified by the US Army Information and Security Command, dating from 1945 to 1985. No additional contribution required -- $25 for both. The DVDs will be sent anywhere worldwide without extra cost.


21 May 2008. Updated 10:40 ET (US)
20 May 2008. Updated 16:21 ET (US)
19 May 2008. Updated 20:20 ET (US)
18 May 2008. Updated 10:15 ET (US)

17 May 2008

China earthquake photos 5 (May 15 and 16, 2008): http://cryptome.cn/cn-quake5/cn-quake5.htm
China earthquake photos 4 (May 14 and 15, 2008): http://cryptome.cn/cn-quake4/cn-quake4.htm
China earthquake photos 3 (May 14, 2008): http://cryptome.cn/cn-quake3/cn-quake3.htm
China earthquake photos 2 (May 13 and 14, 2008): http://cryptome.cn/cn-quake2/cn-quake2.htm
China earthquake photos 1 (May 12 and 13, 2008): http://cryptome.cn/cn-quake/cn-quake.htm

China Earthquakes in Past 7 Days
Source: USGS data imported to World Wind image.


Associated Press Photos and Captions
[Image]

Students smile in a new aseismic classroom of Zundao Primary School in Mianzhu of south China's Guangdong province Wednesday, May 21, 2008. China's first aseismic primary school started classes Wednesday. (AP Photo/Color China Photo)**CHINA OUT**

[Image]

Parents hold photos of their children during a memorial service for students killed in last week's earthquake at a primary school in Mianzhu, in China's southwest Sichuan province Wednesday May 21, 2008. Parents held a memorial ceremony Wednesday for the more than 130 students killed when their school collapsed in a massive earthquake on May 12. (AP Photo/Vincent Yu)

[Image]

A resident walks past earthquake damaged houses at Hongbai, in Shifang county, in China's southwest Sichuan province, Wednesday, May 21, 2008. (AP Photo/Greg Baker)

[Image]

Earthquake survivors set up temporary tents after losing their houses in last week's earthquake in Hanwang town in China's southwest Sichuan province Wednesday, May 21, 2008. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)

[Image]

Medical personnel pay their condolences to earthquake victims as a collapsed school is demolished in Beichuan, in China's southwest Sichuan province, Wednesday, May 21, 2008. More schools reopened Wednesday in China's earthquake-hit Sichuan province, but rain and a lack of tents underscored the massive task facing the government in sheltering millions left homeless. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)

[Image]

Two Chinese students, who survived last week's quake, cry while holding a Harry Potter book belonging to a victim, at a collapsed school in Beichuan China's southwest Sichuan province, Wednesday, May 21, 2008. More schools reopened Wednesday in China's earthquake-hit Sichuan province, but rain and a lack of tents underscored the massive task facing the government in sheltering millions left homeless. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)

[Image]

Workers walk past the ruins of the Hongda Group Ltd. chemical factory at Hongbai, in Shifang county, in China's southwest Sichuan province, Wednesday May 21, 2008. The factory was one of a number which collapsed when the area was hit by a powerful earthquake on May 12. (AP Photo/Greg Baker)

[Image]

Workers stand near the ruins of a fertilizer factory at Hongbai, in Shifang county, in China's southwest Sichuan province, Wednesday, May 21, 2008. The factory was one of a number which collapsed when the area was hit by a powerful earthquake on May 12. (AP Photo/Greg Baker)

[Image]

A man carries a dead dog right after he killed it suspected to carry disease following last week's earthquake in Hanwang town in Sichuan province Wednesday, May 21, 2008. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)

[Image]

A member of a South Korean rescue team uses a sniffer dog to search for bodies in the ruins of a sewerage treatment plant at Hongbai, in Shifang county, in China's southwest Sichuan province Wednesday May 21, 2008. The team of 41 rescue experts arrived in China on May 16, four days after a powerful earthquake devastated the region. (AP Photo/Greg Baker)

[Image]

In this photo released by China's Xinhua News Agency, a contingent of militia commando help the evacuees descending the steep slope inside the dense woods in Anxian, southwest China's Sichuan Province Monday, May 19, 2008. After nearly 10 hours of treking, some 38 militia of the 3rd batch of relief commando of the Neijiang City Military Subcommand each loaded with 20-kg loads of relief materials finally broke through the way to once cut-off Chaping Village of Anxian County and succeeded in their mission of delivering materials and evacuating villagers. (AP Photo/Xinhua, Liu Zhongjun)

[Image]

Residents collect their belongings from earthquake damaged houses at Hongbai, in Shifang county, in China's southwest Sichuan province Wednesday May 21, 2008. (AP Photo/Greg Baker)

[Image]

In this photo released by China's Xinhua News Agency, blue tents set up for residents who lost their homes in the earthquake on May 12, are seen on Tuesday, May 20, 2008 in the quake-hit Nanping Town in Pingwu County, southwest China's Sichuan Province. (AP Photo/Xinhua, Ren Junchuan)

[Image]

Devastated urban area in Mianyang, southwest China's Sichuan Province is seen Tuesday, May 20, 2008. (AP Photo/Kyodo News) ** JAPAN OUT MANDATORY CREDIT FOR COMMERCIAL USE ONLY IN NORTH AMERICA **

[Image]

In this photo released by China's Xinhua News Agency, construction workers work on a resettlement site for the victims of the May 12 quake in Dujiangyan, southwest China's Sichuan Province, on Tuesday, May 20, 2008. A resettlement residence project has started here on May 17 and is expected to be ready on May 27, Xinhua said. (AP Photo/Xinhua, Wang Jianmin)

[Image]

In this photo released by China's Xinhua News Agency, workers at Yangzi Air Conditioner Co. in Chuzhou, east China's Shanxi Province, prepare mobile tent air conditioners to be transported to quake-hit areas in southwest and northwest China on Tuesday, May 20, 2008. The company has produced 350 air conditioners of the kind and will donate to quake victims, Xinhua said. (AP Photo/Xinhua, Wang Jiaguo)

[Image]

A policeman kills a dog with a pistol in an attempt to prevent epidemic after the earthquake in Shifang in southwest China's Sichuan province Tuesday May 20, 2008. (AP Photo) ** CHINA OUT **

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Residents cook a meal at a temporary shelter beside a railway track at Yinghua, in Shifang county, in China's southwest Sichuan province Tuesday May 20, 2008. China said it was struggling to find shelter for many of the 5 million people whose homes were destroyed in last week's earthquake, while the region remained jittery Tuesday over warnings of aftershocks. (AP Photo/Greg Baker)

Eyeball of Zipingpu Dam: http://cryptome.cn/zipingpu-dam/zipingpu-dam.htm
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Zipingpu dam discharge its water for safety, in quake-hit Wenchuan, China's southwest Sichuan Province Tuesday, May 20, 2008. China said it was struggling to find shelter for many of the 5 million people whose homes were destroyed in last week's earthquake, while the confirmed death toll rose Tuesday to more than 40,000. (AP Photo/Kyodo News) ** JAPAN OUT MANDATORY CREDIT FOR COMMERCIAL USE ONLY NORTH AMERICA **

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Cracks run on the top of quake-hit Zipingpu dam, near broken railings in Wenchuan, China's southwest Sichuan Province Tuesday, May 20, 2008. China said it was struggling to find shelter for many of the 5 million people whose homes were destroyed in last week's earthquake, while the confirmed death toll rose Tuesday to more than 40,000. (AP Photo/Kyodo News) ** JAPAN OUT MANDATORY CREDIT FOR COMMERCIAL USE ONLY NORTH AMERICA **

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A young Chinese child looks on while participating in outdoor games for children at a temporary camp set up for those affected by last week's earthquake in Chengdu, southwestern China's Sichuan province, Tuesday, May 20, 2008. China said it was struggling to find shelter for many of the 5 million people whose homes were destroyed in last week's earthquake, while the confirmed death toll rose Tuesday to more than 40,000. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

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A Chinese man checks for fake money notes in donated cash for earthquake victims in an office of Red Cross Society of China in Beijing, China, Tuesday, May 20, 2008. Foreign countries heeded China's plea for medical aid for earthquake survivors, sending doctors and a portable hospital to help treat nearly 250,000 injured people, while the region remained jittery Tuesday over warnings of aftershocks. (AP Photo/Alexander F. Yuan)

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Residents sleep in the main square in Chengdu, in China's Sichuan province early Tuesday, May 20, 2008. Many residents slept outdoors after new warnings of a possible aftershock measuring magnitude 6 to 7. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)

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Chinese residents carrey their belongings as they evacuate their homes to go to an open-air area, after they received a warning about a 7.0 magnitude aftershock predicted by the Chinese authorities in Mianyang, Southwestern Sichuan province, China, late Monday, May 19, 2008. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)

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A woman sits beside the ruins of her home in An County, in China's southwest Sichuan province Monday May 19, 2008. China began three days of mourning Monday for tens of thousands of earthquake victims, exactly one week after a powerful earthquake devastated parts of Sichuan province. (AP Photo/Greg Baker)

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Residents wash in a river near temporary shelters for earthquake survivors, in Xiushui, in China's southwest Sichuan province Monday May 19, 2008. China began three days of mourning Monday for tens of thousands of earthquake victims, exactly one week after a powerful earthquake devastated parts of Sichuan province. (AP Photo/Greg Baker)

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A traffic police officer offers three minutes of silence for Sichuan earthquake victims as the vehicles are stopped Monday May 19, 2008 in Shanghai, China. Flags flew at half-staff, public entertainment was canceled and 1.3 billion people were asked to observe three minutes of silence Monday as China began three days of mourning for victims of the country's massive earthquake. (AP Photo)

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A Beijing taxi driver cries while standing beside his car honking his horn for three minutes to honor the victims of last week's devastating earthquake, Monday, May 19, 2008. Across the country traffic stopped and people stood in silence at 2:28 PM, the one-week anniversary of the quake. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

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This Friday May 16, 2008, photo, distributed by the official Chinese news agency Xinhua, shows a dead student's hand holding a pen tightly in the debris site of Dongqi Middle School in Hanwang Town of quake-hit Mianzhu City, southwest China's Sichuan province. (AP Photo/Xinhua, Liu Zhongjun)

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In this photo released by China's Xinhua news agency, rescuers carry survivor Jiang Yuhang after pulling him out of a building collapsed following Monday's earthquake at Yingxiu Township of Wenchuan County, southwest China's Sichuan Province, Saturday, May 17, 2008. Jiang was pulled free shortly after his mother arrived from a neighboring province. (AP Photo/Xinhua, Jiang Hongjing)

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Parents grief near the tomb of their young girl who died after a school dormitory collapsed following Monday's quake in Muyu, southwestern China's Sichuan province, Sunday, May 18, 2008.(AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

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Bai Yushan, second from left, grieves near the branch-covered burial mound of his grandson Tian Chao who died after a school dormitory collapsed following Monday's quake in Muyu, southwestern China's Sichuan province, Sunday, May 18, 2008.(AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

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In this photo released by China's Xinhua news agency, people run during an emergency evacuation due to the flooding risks in the quake-hit Beichuan County in southwest China's Sichuan Province, Saturday, May 17, 2008. Thousands of Chinese earthquake victims fled areas near the epicenter Saturday, fearful of floods from rivers blocked by landslides rattled loose in Monday's powerful temblor. (AP Photo/Xinhua, Yang Lei)

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In this photo released by China's Xinhua news agency, villagers evacuate from their hometown in Qingchuan County due to the flooding risks in the quake-hit southwest China's Sichuan Province, Saturday, May 17, 2008. Thousands of Chinese earthquake victims fled areas near the epicenter Saturday, fearful of floods from rivers blocked by landslides rattled loose in Monday's powerful temblor. (AP Photo/Xinhua, Tao Ming)

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In this photo released by China's Xinhua news agency, a relief worker from Taiwan Province uses life-detection equipment to search for survivors in the debris of the quake-hit Hanwang Township of Mianzhu City, southwest China's Sichuan Province, Saturday, May 17, 2008. (AP Photo/Xinhua, Chen Xie)

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A rescuer pulls out a body from the rubble of a collapsed building, five days after the quake in Yinghua town of southwest China's Sichuan province Saturday, May 17, 2008. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)

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Residents stand in a street after an aftershock from the recent earthquake in Chengdu China's Sichuan province, China, Sunday, May 18, 2008.(AP Photo/Vincent Yu)

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Residents stand on a sidewalk after an aftershock in Chengdu China's Sichuan province, China, in the early hours of Sunday, May 18, 2008. (AP Photo/Vincent Yu)

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In this photo distributed by the official Chinese news agency, Xinhua, the first tanker car of the damaged freight train is pushed outside the No. 109 tunnel of the Baoji-Chengdu railway by rescue workers in Fengxian County, north China's Shaanxi province, on Sunday May 18, 2008. The first car of a freight train, derailed and trapped by the earthquake that heavily hit neighboring Sichuan province, was removed from the tunnel in the morning of May 18, Xinhua said. (AP Photo/Xinhua, /Ding Haitao)

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A member of a Japanese Disaster Relief Team gestures, at rear, as Chinese soldiers carry away the body of an earthquake victim the Japanese team recovered from the Beichuan Middle School, in Beichuan, in China's southwest Sichuan province Sunday May 18, 2008. (AP Photo/Greg Baker)

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A rescuer walks past a giant rock which has flattened a car next to partially damaged buildings in Beichuan county, southwest China's Sichuan province, Saturday, May 17, 2008. Thousands of Chinese earthquake victims fled areas near the epicenter Saturday, fearful of floods from a river blocked by landslides. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)

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Chinese locals uses trolley to carry a victim as they evacuate the disaster area while the soldiers look on in Beichuan county, southwestern of Sichuan province, China, Saturday, May 17, 2008. Thousands of Chinese earthquake victims fled areas near the epicenter Saturday, fearful of floods from a river blocked by landslides. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)

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Survivors, bottom left and right, gather near the aftermath of a mountain collapse that swallowed up Donghekou village and two other village near Qingchuan, southwestern China's Sichuan province, Saturday, May 17, 2008. Around a hundred households and hundreds of residents were completely buried after Monday's quake. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

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Residents stand on the highway and view the aftermath of a mountain collapse that swallowed up Donghekou village and two other villages near Qingchuan, southwestern China's Sichuan province, Saturday, May 17, 2008. Around a hundred households and some hundreds of residents are lost, completely buried after Monday's quake. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

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Two men look out from the devastated highway destroyed by a landslide near the area where a mountain collapse swallowed Donghekou village and two other villages near Qingchuan, southwestern China's Sichuan province, Saturday, May 17, 2008. Around a hundred households and some hundreds of residents are completely buried after Monday's quake. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

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A family member grieves while burning incense for dead relatives buried by a mountain landslide that swallowed Donghekou village and two other villages near Qingchuan, southwestern China's Sichuan province, Saturday, May 17, 2008. Around a hundred households and some hundreds of residents are lost, completely buried after Monday's quake. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

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Rising water levels at a lagoon formed after river runoffs are trapped by a mountain collapse that swallowed three villages and is threatening residents downstream in Qingchuan, southwestern China's Sichuan province, Saturday, May 17, 2008. Around a hundred households and some hundreds of residents are lost, completely buried after Monday's quake.(AP Photo/Ng Han Guan

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A family returns to find their devastated home, one of a few who can salvage any personal possessions, because most homes in the village are completely covered by a mountain landslide which swallowed up the rest of the Donghekou village near Qingchuan, southwestern China's Sichuan province, Saturday, May 17, 2008. Around a hundred households and some hundreds of residents are lost, completely buried after Monday's quake. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

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Rescue team members rest from their labours of searching for earthquake survivors in Beichuan county, Southwestern of Sichuan province, China, Saturday, May 17, 2008. Thousands of Chinese earthquake victims fled areas near the epicenter Saturday, fearful of floods from a river blocked by landslides. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)

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Earthquake survivors carrying their belonging evacuate the disaster area in earthquake-hit Beichuan County, southwestern of Sichuan province, China, Saturday, May 17, 2008. Thousands of Chinese earthquake victims fled areas near the epicenter Saturday, fearful of floods from a river blocked by landslides. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)

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A woman cries while she looks at a picture of her daughter, who is lost, trapped under the rubble of a collapsed school following Monday's powerful earthquake in Beichuan county, Southwestern of Sichuan province, China, Saturday, May 17, 2008. Thousands of Chinese earthquake victims fled areas near the epicenter Saturday, fearful of floods from a river blocked by landslides. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)

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Medical staff fill spray canisters with disinfect chemical in Beichuan county, Southwestern of Sichuan province, China, Saturday, May 17, 2008, as the authorities try to prevent the spread of diseases in quake areas. Some thousands of Chinese earthquake victims fled areas near the epicenter Saturday, fearful of floods from a river blocked by landslides. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)

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A woman reacts, after the body of her relative was discovered under a collapsed building, five days after the quake in Yinghua town of southwest China's Sichuan province Saturday, May 17, 2008. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)

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A quake survivor tries to make the most of the part of his home which remains usable as he works in the remains of the kitchen among the rubble of a collapsed Houses in the town of Yinghua, southwest China's Sichuan province on Saturday, May 17, 2008.(AP Photo/Oded Balilty)

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People looks on as rescuers works at the rubble of a collapsed building, five days after the quake in Yinghua town of southwest China's Sichuan province Saturday, May 17, 2008. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)

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A man is dwarfed by the aftermath of a mountain collapse landslide triggered by an earthquake that swallowed up Donghekou village and two other villages near Qingchuan, southwestern China's Sichuan province, Saturday, May 17, 2008. Around a hundred household and hundreds of residents are completely buried after Monday's quake. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

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Two residents, one carrying a wedding picture of their relatives and and other belongings, evacuate the disaster area in Beichuan county, southwest China's Sichuan province, China, Saturday, May 17, 2008. The man in the wedding image was killed in Monday's earthquake. Thousands of Chinese earthquake victims fled areas near the epicenter Saturday, fearful of floods from a river blocked by landslides. (AP Photo/Vincent Yu)

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** EDS NOTE GRAPHIC CONTENT ** A woman mourns over the body of her relative as his body was discovered under a collapsed building, five days after the powerful earthquake in Yinghua town of southwest China's Sichuan province Saturday, May 17, 2008. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)

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Residents look on as rescuers work at the rubble of a collapsed building, five days after the powerful earthquake in Yinghua town of southwest China's Sichuan province Saturday, May 17, 2008.(AP Photo/Oded Balilty)

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A local resident, left, tries to collect his belongings from collapsed building following Monday's earthquake in Wenchuan county, southwest China's Sichuan province, Saturday, May 17, 2008. The confirmed death toll rose Saturday to 28,881, Cabinet spokesman Guo Weimin said. The government has previously said at least 50,000 people were believed killed in Monday's powerful earthquake. (AP Photo/Kyodo News) ** JAPAN OUT, NO SALES, MANDATORY CREDIT FOR COMMERCIAL USE ONLY IN NORTH AMERICA **

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In this photo released by China's Xinhua News Agency, Bian Geng Feng, 31, is carried on a stretcher after she was rescued from the ruins of a chemical factory in the quake-hit town of Yinghua, in Shifang City, southwest China's Sichuan Province, Saturday, May 17, 2008. Bian was successfully rescued on Saturday, five days after she was trapped amid concrete following Monday's 7.9 magnitude quake. (AP Photo/Xinhua, Liu Hai)

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In this photo released by China's Xinhua News Agency, quake survivors line up to get clean water from a fire engine in Dujiangyan, southwest China's Sichuan Province, Saturday, May 17, 2008. (AP Photo/Xinhua, Yang Ying)

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Chinese soldiers applies medical oil during their break after searching for earthquake survivors and victims at a collapsed school in Beichuan county, Southwestern of Sichuan province, China, Saturday, May 17, 2008. Thousands of Chinese earthquake victims fled areas near the epicenter Saturday, fearful of floods from a river blocked by landslides. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)

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In this photo distributed by the official Chinese news agency Xinhua, a volunteer tends to an injured baby subtly with an umbrella against the sunshine, at the Central Hospital of Mianyang City, southwest China's Sichuan province, on Friday May 16, 2008. (AP Photo/Xinhua, Cheng Heping)

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A building damaged by Monday's quake is seen in Beichuan county, southwest China's Sichuan province, China, Saturday, May 17, 2008.(AP Photo/Vincent Yu)

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Local residents along with a Chinese soldier make their way on a road covered by rocks and debris following Monday's earthquake in Wenchuan county, southwest China's Sichuan province, Saturday, May 17, 2008. The confirmed death toll rose Saturday to 28,881, Cabinet spokesman Guo Weimin said. The government has previously said at least 50,000 people were believed killed in Monday's powerful earthquake. (AP Photo/Kyodo News) ** JAPAN OUT, NO SALES, MANDATORY CREDIT FOR COMMERCIAL USE ONLY IN NORTH AMERICA **

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In this photo released by China's Xinhua News Agency, people injured in Monday's earthquake receive medical treatment inside a makeshift clinic in Heishui county neighboring the quake-hit areas of Wenchuan, Lixian and Maoxian, in southwest China's Sichuan Province, Friday, May 16, 2008. (AP Photo/Xinhua, He Junchang)

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A resident carries a baby to get off a truck as he evacuates for higher ground, near the epicenter of Monday's quake in Beichuan county, southwest China's Sichuan province, China, Saturday, May 17, 2008. Thousands of Chinese earthquake victims fled areas near the epicenter Saturday, fearful of floods from a river blocked by landslides. (AP Photo/Vincent Yu)

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Two residents walk on a damaged bridge at the quake-hit area in Beichuan county, southwest China's Sichuan province, China, Saturday, May 17, 2008. Thousands of Chinese earthquake victims fled areas near the epicenter Saturday, fearful of floods from a river blocked by landslides. (AP Photo/Vincent Yu)

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Residents walk against the quake-hit site in Beichuan county, southwest China's Sichuan province, China, Saturday, May 17, 2008. Thousands of Chinese earthquake victims fled areas near the epicenter Saturday, fearful of floods from a river blocked by landslides. (AP Photo/Vincent Yu)

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A man retrieves pieces of wood from his collapsed house to build a temporary shelter in Dujiangyan, in China's southwest Sichuan province Saturday May 17, 2008. Thousands of people are living in temporary shelters as aftershocks continue five days after a massive earthquake hit the area. (AP Photo/Greg Baker)

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A dead body is seen at the rubble of collapsed buildings at quake-hit Beichuan county, southwest China's Sichuan province, China, Saturday, May 17, 2008. Thousands of Chinese earthquake victims fled areas near the epicenter Saturday, fearful of floods from a river blocked by landslides. (AP Photo/Vincent Yu)

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Residents watch information about earthquake recovery efforts on a TV outside a temporary shelter in Dujiangyan, in China's southwest Sichuan province Saturday May 17, 2008. Thousands of people are living in temporary shelters as aftershocks continue five days after a massive earthquake hit the area. (AP Photo/Greg Baker)

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Children cover their noses while evacuating the disaster area in Beichuan county, southwest China's Sichuan province, Saturday, May 17, 2008. Thousands of Chinese earthquake victims fled areas near the epicenter Saturday, fearful of floods from a river blocked by landslides. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)

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Earthquake survivors carrying their belonging, evacuate to higher ground from the center of earthquake-hit Beichuan County, southwestern of Sichuan province, China, Saturday, May 17, 2008. Thousands of Chinese earthquake victims fled areas near the epicenter Saturday, fearful of floods from a river blocked by landslides. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)

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Thousands of residents and soldiers evacuate to higher ground from the center of earthquake-hit in Beichuan county, southwest China's Sichuan province, China, Saturday, May 17, 2008. Thousands of Chinese earthquake victims fled areas near the epicenter Saturday, fearful of floods from a river blocked by landslides. (AP Photo/Vincent Yu)

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Residents walk past rubble of a collapsed as rescuers search for earthquake survivors in Beichuan county, southwest China's Sichuan province, China, Saturday, May 17, 2008. Thousands of Chinese earthquake victims fled areas near the epicenter Saturday, fearful of floods from a river blocked by landslides. (AP Photo/Vincent Yu)

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** EDS NOTE GRAPHIC CONTENT ** A dead body lays under a tree while rescuers continue to search for earthquake survivors in Beichuan county, southwest China's Sichuan province, Saturday, May 17, 2008. Thousands of Chinese earthquake victims fled areas near the epicenter Saturday, fearful of floods from a river blocked by landslides. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)

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Rescuers search for earthquake survivors in Beichuan county, southwest China's Sichuan province, China, Saturday, May 17, 2008. Thousands of Chinese earthquake victims fled areas near the epicenter Saturday, fearful of floods from a river blocked by landslides. (AP Photo/Vincent Yu)

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Damaged buildings stand amongst debris following Monday's powerful earthquake in Beichuan county, southwest China's Sichuan province, Saturday, May 17, 2008. Thousands of Chinese earthquake victims fled areas near the epicenter Saturday, fearful of floods from a river blocked by landslides. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)

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Residents run as they evacuate to higher ground from the center of earthquake-hit Beichuan County, southwest China's Sichuan province, Saturday, May 17, 2008. Thousands of Chinese earthquake victims fled areas near the epicenter Saturday, fearful of floods from a river blocked by landslides. (AP Photo/Vincent Yu)

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Soldiers help residents as they evacuate to higher ground from the center of earthquake-hit Beichuan County, southwest China's Sichuan province, Saturday, May 17, 2008. Thousands of Chinese earthquake victims fled areas near the epicenter Saturday, fearful of floods from a river blocked by landslides. (AP Photo/Vincent Yu)

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In this photo released by China's Xinhua News Agency, survivors are transferred by a ferry in the quake-hit Wenchuan County, southwest China's Sichuan Province, Friday, May 16, 2008. Thousands of Chinese earthquake victims fled areas near the epicenter Saturday, fearful of floods from a river blocked by landslides. (AP Photo/Xinhua, Wang Jianmin)

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An eight-year-old student is carried by soldiers after he was found in a school some five days after Monday's deadly quake, as rescuers continue to search for survivors in Beichuan County, southwest China's Sichuan province, Saturday, May 17, 2008.(AP Photo/Vincent Yu)

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In this photo combo released by China's Xinhua News Agency, Penghua Village in Mianzhu is shown on August 11, 2006, above, and then after this week's devastating quake on Friday, May 16, 2008, bottom. (AP Photo/Xinhua, Chen Xie)

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Desks are seen in the ruins of a school destroyed Monday's earthquake, in Dujiangyan, in China's southwest Sichuan province Saturday May 17, 2008. China is to launch an investigation into why almost 7000 schoolrooms were destroyed and thousands of children killed in the earthquake, after accusations that the schools were shoddily built. (AP Photo/Greg Baker)

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In this photo released by China's Xinhua News Agency, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, front, walks past debris during an inspection in Muyu Township, Qingchuan County, southwest China's Sichuan Province on Thursday, May 15, 2008. The popular hero of China's earthquake rescue effort isn't a strapping firefighter or a seasoned cop, it's the country's bespectacled premier who's been clambering over piles of rubble to rally victims in the hardest-hit areas. (AP Photo/Xinhua, Yao Dawei)

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A student from another school looks through books found in the ruins of the Juyuan Middle School, in Dujiangyan, in China's southwest Sichuan province Saturday May 17, 2008. All but a handful of the school's 900 students were killed when the school collapsed in Monday's earthquake. China is to launch an investigation into why almost 7000 schoolrooms were destroyed and thousands of children killed in the earthquake, after accusations that the schools were shoddily built. (AP Photo/Greg Baker)

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A couple cry at the county of Yingxiu, hard hit by a massive earthquake, west of Chengdu in China's Sichuan province, Friday, May 16, 2008. Rescuers held out hope of finding more survivors Saturday, nearly five days after a powerful earthquake ravaged China's Sichuan province, and authorities prepared for the daunting task of housing and feeding millions left homeless. Officials have said the earthquake's final death toll could reach 50,000. (AP Photo/EyePress) ** CHINA OUT **

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In this photo released by China's Xinhua news agency, an aerial view shows a destroyed village and factories in quake-hit Shifang City in southwest China's Sichuan Province Friday, May 16, 2008. (AP Photo/Xinhua, Fan Jian)

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Survivors wait to get on board boats leaving the county of Yingxiu, hard hit by a massive earthquake, west of Chengdu in China's Sichuan province, Thursday, May 15, 2008. Rescuers held out hope of finding more survivors Saturday, nearly five days after a powerful earthquake ravaged China's Sichuan province, and authorities prepared for the daunting task of housing and feeding millions left homeless. Officials have said the earthquake's final death toll could reach 50,000. (AP Photo/EyePress) **CHINA OUT**

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In this photo released by China's Xinhua news agency, an aerial view shows quake-smashed villages besides a highway between Mianzhu City and Shifang City in southwest China's Sichuan Province Friday, May 16, 2008. (AP Photo/Xinhua, Fan Jian)

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In this photo distributed by the official Chinese news agency Xinhua, wounded people wait to be evacuated by helicopter at the quake-hit Wenchuan County of southwest China's Sichuan province, on Friday May 16, 2008. (AP Photo/Xinhua, Wang Jianhua)

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A 51-member rescue team from Russia arrives at the Shuangliu International Airport in Chengdu of southwest China's Sichuan province, Friday, May 16, 2008. China struggled to bury its dead and help tens of thousands of injured and homeless on Friday when a powerful aftershock brought new havoc four days after an earthquake. (AP Photo/Color China Photo) ** CHINA OUT **

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In this photo distributed by the official Chinese news agency Xinhua, rescuers give first-aid to survivor Li Qingsong, who reportedly ate paperboards for living while being trapped in debris for 105 hours, at the Yingfeng chemical plant in quake-hit Shifang City, southwest China's Sichuan province, on Friday May 16, 2008. (AP Photo/Xinhua, Zhong Min)

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Rescuers carry the injured to a helicopter at Yingxiu Township in the epicenter Wenchuan in Aba Prefecture of southwest China's Sichuan province, Friday, May 16, 2008. China struggled to bury its dead and help tens of thousands of injured and homeless on Friday when a powerful aftershock brought new havoc four days after an earthquake. (AP Photo/Color China Photo) ** CHINA OUT **

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A Chinese man carrying his mother on his back in a basket takes a rest on a fallen rock on the way to a shelter following Monday's powerful earthquake in southwest China's Sichuan province, Friday, May 16, 2008. (AP Photo/Kyodo News) ** JAPAN OUT MANDATORY CREDIT FOR COMMERCIAL USE ONLY IN NORTH AMERICA **

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Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) relief supplies bound for earthquake victims in China are loaded onto a C-17 Globemaster III at Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii, on Friday May 16, 2008. The Air Force cargo jet loaded with tents, lanterns and 15,000 meals is flying to China to assist victims of Monday's magnitude 7.9 earthquake in China. (AP Photo/Marco Garcia)

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Rescuers evacuate the victims at the earthquake-hit Beichuan County in Mianyang of southwest China's Sichuan province, Friday, May 16, 2008. (AP Photo/Color China Photo)**CHINA OUT**

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A man searches for victims in the debris of collapsed buildings in earthquake-hit Beichuan County in Mianyang of southwest China's Sichuan province, Friday, May 16, 2008. (AP Photo/Color China Photo)**CHINA OUT**

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Victims settle in temporary tents at the Agricultural University in Dujiangyan of southwest China's Sichuan province, Friday, May 16, 2008. China struggled to bury its dead and help tens of thousands of injured and homeless on Friday when a powerful aftershock brought new havoc four days after an earthquake. (AP Photo/Color China Photo)**CHINA OUT**

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Soldiers evacuate the victims on a landslide-blocked road at Yingxiu Township in the epicenter Wenchuan in Aba Prefecture of southwest China's Sichuan province, Friday, May 16, 2008. China struggled to bury its dead and help tens of thousands of injured and homeless on Friday when a powerful aftershock brought new havoc four days after an earthquake. (AP Photo/Color China Photo) ** CHINA OUT **

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A relative of earthquake victim cries after her mother's dead body was found near the rubble of a collapsed building in Dujiangyan, southwest China's Sichuan Province Friday, May 16, 2008. (AP Photo/Vincent Yu)

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In this photo distributed by the official Chinese news agency Xinhua, a Chinese rescuer carries a 90-year-old Malaysian tourist towards a waiting helicopter in Maoxian County, southwest China's Sichuan Province, on Friday May 16, 2008. The tourist had been stranded in the scenic spot in Sichuan after Monday's devastating earthquake, Xinhua said. (AP Photo/Xinhua, Li Gang)