When storm clouds gather, and the wind blows strongly, most people choose to stay at home. But some run toward the danger. Photographer Liu Yijing is one of them, as he records nature’s anger with his camera.

As a result, he decided to do something to help the public better understand storms and their influence on people’s lives. He has tried to explain the danger of storms through videos on social media platforms. He also calls on everyone to take action to help prevent climate change.

On December 18th, 2023, a big earthquake (地震) hit Jishishan County in Gansu. Ding Xiaolong was asleep at home when the earthquake happened. It woke him up and he quickly ran out of his house. He felt lucky to be alive, but he was sorry for what happened to his friend’s family.

After the earthquake, Ding got a phone call from his friend. He was working in another city. The friend asked Ding to see if his family were OK. However, his house had fallen down. Ding asked over 20 people for help, but it was too late. All four members of his friend’s family had lost their lives.

Ma Shijun, a student, ran out of the dormitory (宿舍) without shoes or a coat. And teachers quickly asked students to go to the playground. “Seeing more and more rescue personnel (救援人员) arriving, I find myself less afraid,” Ma said.

The members of Blue Sky Rescue Team set up lots of tents. Some villagers offered hot water. Taxi drivers were busy carrying the injured (受伤的人) to hospitals. Medical teams were racing against time to help those in need. “Life is the most important,” said the head of a hospital. “There’s hope as long as people are alive.”

Billions of locusts (蝗虫) are moving through farms and fields in the East African countries of Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia.

Locusts are grasshoppers (蚱蜢). Normally grasshoppers don't travel in groups so they do little harm. But when there are lots of them, their bodies and behavior change. That’s when they become locusts. Locusts travel in huge groups,

The locust swarms in Ethiopia and Somalia are the worst in 25 years. These locusts are desert locusts. They began swarming about six months ago. By moving with the winds, desert locusts can travel up to 90 miles a day or more.

Locust swarms are more common when heavy rains follow a long dry period. The insects lay their eggs in the wet ground. This season, East Africa has had its heaviest rainy season in 40 years.

When the insects swarm (成群地飞来飞去), one square kilometer of land can hold as many as 150 million locusts. There are 700 square kilometers of land covered by the insects in Kenya alone.

The insects are a threat to lives in the regions, where food is already in short supply. Already many farmers who keep animals are struggling because locusts have eaten up the plants the animals usually live on

In East Africa, farmers have been shooting into the air or making noises in the fields, but that doesn’t work against so many insects. Experts say that spraying pesticides (杀虫剂) over large areas from airplanes is the only way to reduce the number of the insects. The UN has released (释放) $ 10 million to help deal with the locust problem. The UN says about $70 million is needed to truly control the locusts with pesticides.