At a corner of the city's Jiuzhou Stadium, one of the biggest camps set up for those left homeless in the quake, 62-year-old Liu Yaorong was leaning against a window yesterday.

Pointing to a quilt and clothes he received from the local government, he said: "These are all I have. My home collapsed in the quake, and everything in the town was flooded."

He used to live in Xuanping town of Beichuan county which was devastated by the quake. Adding to his woes, rivers blocked by landslides led to flooding in the town.

But Liu said he was lucky because he was healthy, otherwise he would not have the energy to walk 10 hours on damaged and dangerous mountainous roads to escape the flood on Monday. He said the trip used to take him about 90 minutes when the roads were in good condition.

Wearing a Mao jacket yesterday, he said he had thrown away the dirty clothing he had worn on the road.

The journey was difficult and "rocks kept falling," he said, showing injured legs and black, split toenails.

Liu said his three sons were working in eastern cities as migrant workers.

"I've been living alone in the mountains for more than 20 years. My wife died 30 years ago," he said in a low voice.

During his journey to Mianyang, Liu said he saw many elderly people who chose to stay.

"Soldiers were persuading them to leave for fear of floods," he said.

Talking about his home before the quake struck, Liu's mood lifted. "I raised pigs and chickens, and grew vegetables. I could have rice, meat and greens almost everyday," he said.

"But now, I have only biscuits and instant noodles."

Liu said one of his sons returned home from Wenzhou, Zhejiang province, after the quake, but left because the father refused to go with him.

"I don't want to leave home. And I know it is difficult for them out there. How could I add to their burden?" he asked, his eyes red.

"I still want to go back to my home. Given a small piece of land, I could live by myself."