In the western outskirts of the city of Mandalay, in Myanmar, not far from the Irrawaddy River, residents of Sein Pann Street gathered together in a schoolyard, lying on mats under makeshift awnings. Kyaw, 27, had lived in a house located about a hundred meters away, but its ground floor was crushed by the floor above. It took several people to pull his grandmother out of the wreckage, and she has since been cared for at an aunt's house. He had crawled out under the floorboards. Miraculously, no one had been seriously injured. Others were less fortunate: Two people had died in a neighboring house, which was reduced to a pile of rubble. "People could only rely on themselves, everyone lent a hand to help out," said the young man, who, before the earthquake, made a living by re-selling jade online – the main market for trading in the precious stone was very close to his neighborhood.
Ten days after the March 28 earthquake, the time had come to clear away rubble, sort through objets, clean, and, of course, people had to meet their immediate needs. His parents and neighbors shared a meal, served in polystyrene trays. Nothing was really lacking at this stage – charities have sent donations – but for how long? Especially since too many homes were now unusable, and it has been difficult, or just too expensive, to find a place to rent. "We have to save to rebuild," explained Kyaw (who, like all people quoted in this article, is not cited by his real name). None of the houses were insured.
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