Care Is a Long Journey
Translated by Jenny Chang, Chi Law,
northern California
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.
