Keichitsu

Today is the day called Keichitsu(啓蟄) on which hibernating insects are said to come out of the ground.

The Japanese rescue team in Christchurch desperately tried to search for survivors of the earthquake, but their rescue efforts ended with fruitless results on March 5th.

One of the students who was within a hair's breadth said that she was suddenly left all alone. 　She was in a restaurant away from the collapsed building when the quake occurred. Most of her classmates were having lunch in the cafeteria of the collapsed building. She happened to head out for a meal on the day.

Another student had his leg amputated during a rescue operation.　He reported on the present situation to his family in Japan through a cell-phone without losing his sense of composure. 　
After being rescued, he was asked in a television interview how he felt when a rescuer told him the amputation of his foot. He declared flatly that he didn't worry about it. The rescuer also said he made a snap decision to have his leg amputated.

Recently temperatures fluctuate greatly from day to day.
Sankan Shion(三寒四温) means alternation of three cold and four warm days.