Tzu Chi Collaborates with Red Cross
Tzu Chi volunteers all over America have
begun their assistance. The Tzu Chi New York office has joined
forces with the Red Cross and taken on the responsibility
of providing nourishment at emergency rescue stations in Manhattan.
Furthermore, many Tzu Chi doctors are preparing to go to the
front lines to provide emergency medical care.
As fire engines rushed by with blaring sirens,
traffic in the area continued to be restricted. Since many
New Yorkers could not return home, the state government opened
up the municipal gymnasium as a temporary shelter so that
more than two hundred survivors would not have to spend the
night on the street. Said one Tzu Chi volunteer from New Jersey,
"We are here to provide drinking water, as well as blankets
and pillows, so that these folks can rest comfortably."
The late night air was a chilly 59 degrees, and most of these
professionals only had a single overcoat to keep out the cold.
Thus Tzu Chi volunteers from New Jersey rush-delivered two
hundred blankets and sleeping bags, so that on this grueling
night of certain insomnia these survivors could have some
thread of warmth.
Mr. Tsai, a resident of New York, recollected:
"Boom! I looked up right away. I didn't see the plane,
but I saw everything shattering into pieces and raining down
from above. The police hadn't arrived yet. When I heard the
crash and saw the destruction, I thought it was the end-I
was going to die for sure!" Still in shock, Mr. Tsai
tightly clung to his son. Even now, he still could not believe
that he really did survive this catastrophe.
Fortunately, his entire family escaped unharmed.
However, all around the World Trade Center scores of people
lingered by, searching for missing loved ones. Some even posted
enlarged photos of their loved ones on trailers and drove
endlessly around lower Manhattan. Said one New Yorker: "I
see a lot of people here cheering on the rescue workers, who
are undaunted in their resolve and keep returning to the rubble
to look for survivors." Emergency rescue vehicles kept
entering the disaster scene, and local citizens welcomed them
with cheers and applause. At this trying time, any assistance,
whether by Tzu Chi or any other charity organization, will
bring great solace to the victims' families.
