| Care
Is a Long Journey |
 |
Translated
by Jenny Chang, Chi Law, northern California
November 20, 2001
A period of time
has passed since the tragic event of the September 11 World
Trade Center attack. People are gradually recovering from the
sadness this tragedy brought us and have gone back to their
normal work and lives. Nevertheless, the horror of the events
of September 11 will forever live in the minds of all people.
The second day after the attack on the twin
towers, Tzu Chi volunteers from New York, New Jersey and Long
Island worked day and night to provide hot soup, ice water,
and medical supplies to rescue teams. Other volunteers gathered
information about the victims of the tragedy in preparation
for the second phase of rescue activities, which will be a long-term
effort to console grieving hearts and provide for the needy.
On September 18 at around 9 a.m., the director
of the Tzu Chi U.S. office, Brother Tsao Wei-tzung, traveled
from California to New York to meet with us in regards to Tzu
Chi's involvement in the emergency preparedness programs. Brother
Tsao announced that deliveries of relief supplies to the disaster
areas were formally ended. We must now begin to provide care
and consolation for families of victims. Brother Tsao also pointed
out that the Tzu Chi emergency care process must first begin
by providing a sense of safety to the victims, then a place
to stay, and finally help them arrange funerals. To do this,
tremendous love and effort would be needed, so all Tzu Chi offices
will support the New York branch..
During the afternoon, Brother Tsao, Sister
Tzu Ren, and a dozen volunteers from New Jersey and Long Island
headed toward the Pier 94 family assistance center to meet with
the American Red Cross. As of September 19, Tzu Chi will distribute
emergency funding and care assistance to survivors.
When we drove up to Pier 94 near 12th and
Avenue 54th Street, ground zero was surrounded by tight security.
Every few feet, a policeman would come and ask for identification.
As soon as we presented our Tzu Chi name tags, they let us in
without further delay. As soon as we checked in at the volunteer
center and were given volunteer badges, we were able to go right
through to the disaster center.
This was the first time we saw the American
government working so diligently with the American Red Cross
in organizing such a huge yet finely detailed family help center.
We were all in awe. When we walked into the room, we saw a drawing
on the wall showing respect for all the emergency rescue workers.
The picture was made of fingerprints from many people, and above
it were the words, "To all the brave rescue workers."
On the right, in the Red Cross family dining area, we suddenly
saw two familiar figures wearing our blue-and-white uniforms
coming toward us. In essence, we had adopted the food distribution
work. As we walked through the center, there was a TV room,
free telephone, rest area, waiting area, child care area, guardian
area, and spiritual care area. In the lobby, near the reception
area, there were about twenty language translation centers.
A Tzu Chi volunteer from New Jersey was sitting at the Chinese
translation desk. After greeting each other by putting our hands
together and bowing, we walked on a red carpet floor that took
us to a wall that was full of pictures of missing victims, hung
there by their families. This moment re-ignited the sadness
that was in my heart. Tears ran down my cheeks and my legs became
heavier. It seemed to take a long time to walk out of that room.
After passing through several more blue-and-white
booths, I finally came to the Tzu Chi emergency fund distribution
booth. Brother Tzu Yi from New York, Sister Tzu Fu from Long
Island, and Sister Lu-jung from New Jersey were in charge of
the distribution activity. Other volunteers, split into two
groups of three or four people, were interviewing and caring
for victims' families.
Our fund distribution targets all victims
of the disaster, including policemen and firemen who lost their
lives while trying to rescue others, victims of the attack on
the Pentagon, and those who were on board the four planes that
crashed. All applications go through the American Red Cross
and the Salvation Army, who assess the needs and refer cases
to us. We then distribute our funds according to the needs of
the applicants. As a rule of thumb, all families who have lost
anyone in the tragedy or victims who were severely injured receive
between $500 and $1000. Those who were less severely affected,
such as those who lost jobs due to the event, receive less cash.
Many people who had worked on the 106th story
of the World Trade Center came to ask for help. They lost their
jobs after the attack and still had families to feed. Some single
mothers had two or three children. Since the government had
not yet decided how to help these people, Tzu Chi provided them
with some money to help them get through these difficult times.
When these people saw that Tzu Chi immediately gave them cash
and checks, they were amazed and very appreciative. They all
came to hug us and thank us. Although they might not have known
what kind of organization we were, the happiness and gratefulness
that were written on their faces were enough to give our workers
the warmth we needed to continue helping these people.
