Tzu Chi Volunteers mobilize in Taiwan
to provide 150,000 meals at 21 Hot Meal Stations to help their
fellow citizens through the typhoon
Typhoon Nari has caused severe damage throughout
Taiwan. Tzu Chi volunteers from all over the country mobilized
to provide assistance, except for the Northern and the Central
region volunteers, who set up emergency rescue and relief
centers. The volunteers provided people with necessities,
and set up a total of 21 Hot Meal Stations to provide food
for the disaster victims. Over the past two days, the stations
served over 150,000 meals. And over 12,000 volunteers joined
in the rescue and relief efforts, truly treating others’
hunger as their own, and others’ pain as their pain.
Report from Taipei
Tzu Chi Foundation expressed that Typhoon
Nari caused severe flooding in the Greater Taipei region.
And branch offices in Shiche, Keelung, Neihu, and other disaster
areas set up Rescue and Relief Centers, and provided people
with hot meals, water, and other material goods. Since the
flooded area was so large, 14 Hot Meal Stations were set up
so the people living in regions with no water or electricity
can have warm meals.
By September 18th, the flooding had receded
in most of Taipei, so in areas like Shrlin and Chungshan,
volunteers began to clean the schools affected by the flooding
in addition to providing hot meals. They hoped to help the
teachers and students return to a normal class schedule as
soon as possible.
After striking the Taipei region, Typhoon
Nari went on to hit areas not often affected by typhoons,
such as Taoyuan, Shinchu, and Miaoli. In addition to setting
up three Rescue and Relief stations there, over four hundred
volunteers from Taoyuan also joined the relief efforts. They
provided over 8000 hot meals for the residents and rescue
volunteers trapped in the area. In addition to flooding in the
Shinchu region there were rumors of mudslides in Shinpu, Kuanshi,
Hungshan, Chutung, and other towns in the mountains. Aside
from providing meals, Tzu Chi is also collecting clothing,
sleeping bags, and other necessities for the residents. In
Miaoli, hundreds of volunteers helped to clean up the streets
and began providing monetary assistance to residents severely
affected by the typhoon.
Report from the Central region
In the Central region, Typhoon Nari was
still pounding hard, and Taichung, Nantou, and Chunghua experienced
torrential rains, resulting in flooding in many areas. On
the 9/17, volunteers in Tzu Chi Foundation’s Taichung
branch waited to see how they could help, and gathered all
sorts of goods for the relief effort. On September 18th, they
set up the Central Region Relief Center in the morning and
the Central Region Coastal Command Center in the afternoon.
They set up Coastal Command Center to assist in rescue efforts
along the coast. The mountainous area in Nantou was severely
affected, and they also set up a Command Center in Tsaotuan
to coordinate relief efforts.
Report from the Southern region
News of flooding came from Chiayi and other
southern regions. Tzu Chi also set up a relief command center
and mobilized hundreds of volunteers to provide hot meals,
bread, and water for the disaster victims. Volunteers also
gathered at Shinyin’s city hall to await directions to
assist in relief efforts.
Report from the Eastern region
In the eastern region, Yilan was also severely
affected by the typhoon. On September 17th, Tzu Chi volunteers
rapidly arrived in each region to assist in rescue and relief
efforts. Because the affected regions were so spread out,
Tzu Chi also set up a Rescue and Relief Center there. Over
hundreds of volunteers were mobilized in addition to over
40 motor vehicles, in four groups to target specific areas
to provide assistance. They provided hot meals and necessities,
and also helped clean up areas the typhoon had ravaged.
Report from the Northern Region
Many touching stories came out of these
efforts. In the Northern Region, the volunteers needed large
quantities of fresh vegetables and manpower to prepare the
meals. So Shinchu volunteers drove a truck full of vegetables
and a tour bus full of volunteers toward Taipei. But the highway
was flooded in so many areas, not only was the truck caught
on the highway, the volunteers were also stuck there. Many
companies also answered the call for help, and provided goods
for the disaster victims. Many food stores and restaurants
provided meals or snacks, while others provided water. Everyone
really came together to show their care and concern for fellow
citizens.
Since so many areas were affected by the
typhoon, Master Cheng Yen called for volunteers in each area
to report to Tzu Chi, and join in the rescue efforts. She
hopes that people in the same building can help each other,
provide food and material goods, and build the community spirit
through providing direct assistance to each other.
Master Cheng Yen expressed that we should
come to a realization after enduring such devastating disasters.
Every one needs to realize that Taiwan is like a lone ship
in the sea, surrounded by dangerous waves. Only if we can
all work together with one heart and mind, and cultivate a
sense of calm and peace will the ship be stable. Now is the
time to offer our love to this society and steer this ship
together so we can ride the waves safely. People unaffected
by the disaster can extend a hand to others, and offer their
love and care by joining the ranks of the volunteers to awaken
compassion in our society. Master Cheng Yen also reminded
everyone to take good care of their health; only with a healthy
body can we have the confidence and ability to rebuild our
homes.
