Original author: angelilu, Foresight News
When the Earth Shakes: The Special Trials of Digital Nomads
At about 2 p.m. on Friday, March 28, 2024, a magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck Myanmar, with shock waves quickly spreading to neighboring countries. Four days later, the death toll continues to rise, and rescue workers are still searching for survivors in the rubble. Information and personal experiences seem to lag behind reality regarding the severity and full impact of this earthquake.
The earthquake had a particularly significant impact on neighboring Thailand. It was just before Bangkok Blockchain Week, and many Web3 practitioners gathered in Bangkok and Chiang Mai, all of whom were paying close attention to the disaster. As a witness in Chiang Mai, I wanted to record this experience as soon as possible, but I found that the dizziness and weakness in my hands and feet after the earthquake made it difficult for me to concentrate.
On the first day after the earthquake, there were few reports about the disaster area in Myanmar, but the situation in Bangkok was clearer. I didnt take it seriously at the time, but as more and more relevant news came out, I became more and more scared. In recent days, I always have the sensory illusion of phantom earthquakes. The roar of motorcycles passing by outside the window and the slight tremors from the ground make me wonder if there are aftershocks. At night, I am often awakened by the shaking that I dont know if it is real. I hurriedly grab my phone and refresh the earthquake monitoring website to find the aftershock record that may not exist.
In the face of anxiety, the best antidote is to have a deep understanding of the full picture of the incident. After collecting information and communicating with others, I compiled this article, hoping to provide some reference and comfort for people who have also experienced this earthquake.
Notes from the epicenter: The moment the English class was interrupted
This time I came to Chiang Mai mainly to learn English offline. That day in Chiang Mai, I was sitting in the classroom of an English institution and concentrating on studying. Suddenly, the tables and chairs began to shake slightly, and the shaking gradually intensified. Everyone seemed to react a little slowly, as if wondering if it was really an earthquake? Several quick-witted Chinese students immediately hid under the desks to avoid danger, while our British teacher looked confused, obviously quite unfamiliar with this phenomenon. When the first wave of shaking slowed down, I immediately suggested, We should go to an open area outside! The classmate in the same row turned around and wanted to take his backpack, but I hurriedly stopped him, Go out first, just take your phone with you.
Chiang Mai is mainly composed of bungalows, which was our luck at the moment. When we rushed outside, there was already a group of people standing there, with different expressions but equally uneasy. The fish pond in front of the door, which was usually as clear as a mirror, was now surging with waves, like a coffee cup being violently shaken by an invisible hand, with water splashing against the pool wall. Everyone took out their mobile phones, contacted relatives and friends to confirm safety, and searched for news about the earthquake.
The sun was blazing, and the heat outside Chiang Mai soon became unbearable. When everything seemed to calm down, we returned to the classroom to continue the course. In this English class, we temporarily learned two new words: earthquake and aftershock. Not long after, an obvious aftershock hit again, and we hurriedly evacuated the classroom again. At this time, we found news about the earthquake on our mobile phone: the epicenter was in Mandalay, Myanmar, 494 kilometers away from Chiang Mai as the crow flies. All the complexities and panic ended in that English class, and then I met and chatted with my friends and had dinner with my new friends.
Code and aftershocks: Web3’s seismic moment
During the chat, I learned that Chiang Mai has a large number of Web3 practitioners. When the earthquakes shock waves penetrated the city, there was no unified emergency plan, no command from the companys security director, and no rehearsed evacuation routes for Web3 practitioners who were working remotely. Everyone became their own crisis manager and improvised their own response strategies.
On social media, a netizen shared his textbook emergency response: when he felt the first tremor, he immediately grabbed all electronic devices, ran downstairs and rushed to the open space outside. The whole process took no more than 20 seconds.
However, not everyone can stay so calm. One friend confessed that he couldnt even put on his clothes properly in a panic - the more nervous he was, the more his fingers became uncontrollable, and simple movements in daily life became extremely difficult in critical moments. Another practitioner shared that he was originally in a meeting and had to run out with his laptop. Some developers shared that their first reaction was to save the code, and another team originally planned to release a new version at that time, but had to delay the release due to the earthquake.
Practitioners who have been wandering for a long time said that there may be a moment when they suddenly miss home and experience the sadness of wandering. In various communication groups in Chiang Mai, practical information is also spreading rapidly: from aftershock warning time to earthquake risk avoidance precautions, to provide help to each other as much as possible.
Although Chiang Mai is one of the Thai cities closest to Myanmar, fortunately most of the houses are bungalows and the actual losses are not very large. The few high-rise residential buildings have problems such as bent building columns, falling walls and cracks, and occupancy is temporarily prohibited. Some mutual aid groups are also lending their extra bungalows and villas to residents who cannot return to high-rise buildings.
Impact on Bangkok: Ripple effects beyond the epicenter
Compared with Chiang Mai, the disaster in Bangkok was more serious. Although it was more than 1,000 kilometers away from the epicenter, an unfinished 30-story building in Bangkok collapsed in the shock wave. In addition, the shaking of high-rise buildings was particularly strong. The water in the infinity swimming pools on the top floors of many luxury hotels splashed out like waterfalls, pouring onto the streets from a height of 50 floors. This scene became one of the most visually impactful pictures in this earthquake.
Why was Bangkok so severely affected? Seismologists point to several key factors: First, the earthquake was extremely shallow, only 10 kilometers deep, which greatly increased the intensity of surface vibrations; second, the energy released by this 7.7 magnitude earthquake was even greater than the Hiroshima atomic bomb; more importantly, the fault where the earthquake was located stretched in a straight line, like a highway, efficiently transmitting huge energy to Thailand along a distance of 1,200 kilometers. Bangkoks geological conditions made the situation even worse - the city was built on soft sedimentary layers, like a huge piece of jelly, and when seismic waves passed through, they were not attenuated but amplified.
Many users on social media responded that due to the earthquake, Bangkoks urban traffic was basically paralyzed, the subway service was suspended, and road congestion lasted for several hours. The usual half-hour journey home turned into a long four or five-hour ordeal.
The Southeast Asia Blockchain Week (SEABW) originally scheduled to be held in Bangkok the following week (April 2-3) also had to be urgently cancelled . Officials said they would use their channels to help the affected people connect. Although some surrounding activities are still planned, the number of participants is expected to be greatly reduced.
On-chain action: the power of community in times of crisis
The above perspective is just an unfortunate and fortunate microcosm of this disaster. On the other side of the border, the situation in Myanmar is even more serious. This earthquake is the strongest earthquake in Myanmar since 1912. At least 2,000 people have died, and this number is still increasing. In the face of the disaster, what can the Web3 industry do?
On March 29, Binance founder Zhao Changpeng announced that he would donate 500 BNB to Myanmar and Thailand respectively, and said that if there is no existing system, he will rely on Binance and its Thai branch to distribute the donations. Binance Charity and the Czech Republic jointly donated $1.5 million to directly support affected users.
The IOST Foundation stated that Web3 is not just about code and assets - its also about people, and established two transparent donation contracts, promising that 100% of the donations will be used directly for local disaster relief and stating that the IOST Foundation will provide an equal matching donation.
According to Decrypt , several international humanitarian organizations have opened digital currency donation channels, including:
Red Cross (accepts BTC, BCH, ETH and multiple stablecoins)
Save the Children (Accepts Bitcoin, Ethereum, USDC)
British Red Cross (accepts over 70 cryptocurrencies and tokens)
UNICEF (Accepts Bitcoin and Ethereum)
Doctors Without Borders (accepting donations through The Giving Block)
Donations are undoubtedly the most direct application of blockchain technology at present. When the infrastructure is severely damaged and the traditional banking system is temporarily paralyzed, cryptocurrency demonstrates its unique advantages as an emergency aid tool.
When we think about what blockchain can do for the world, perhaps the answer lies in practical humanitarian applications. In addition to direct financial donations during disasters, can it be used as a tool to rebuild trust, connect resources, and empower communities? A decentralized emergency communication system, a resource coordination platform that does not rely on traditional infrastructure, and a truly transparent disaster relief fund tracking mechanism...
