Contact: Kim Burruss or,
John Chandler
818/677-2130
kburruss@exec.csun.edu

University Institute Launches China Flood Relief Effort

The institute is seeking donations from the campus and the community. The money will be given to the Chinese consulate in Los Angeles. Donors will receive receipts for income tax purposes.

"Cal State Northridge has had a history of responding to people in need in the wake of disasters all around the world. And we probably have stronger ties with China and Chinese institutions than with any other country,'' said professor Elliot Mininberg, a member of the China Institute's board of directors.

Although the heaviest flooding from July to September has now passed, authorities in China have estimated that it may take two months for flood waters to completely recede. One major relief organization recently estimated that 2.9 million people may be living in temporary shelters atop failed dikes.

The official toll from the flooding, considered some of China's worst in recorded history, includes more than $20 billion in damage, 5 million homes destroyed and another 12 million damaged, 14 million people evacuated from their homes, and 23 million head of livestock perished.

As the flood waters recede, a growing concerns is the potential for disease and epidemics, especially in densely populated rural areas.

The university's ties to China include formal relationships with about 25 educational institutions there and regular exchanges of visiting scholars, including more than 20 from China now at Northridge. CSUN President Blenda J. Wilson also led a university delegation to China in October 1996.

The China Institute launched the fund-raising effort by dedicating $1,000 of its earnings to the relief effort along with another $1,000 allocation from another group. Donations can be sent to: China Institute-Flood Relief, Cal State Northridge, Northridge, CA 91330-8342.

For more information, call the institute at 818/677-3939.