Buddhist Compassion Relief Tzu Chi Foundation

Tzu Chi volunteers rushed to help victims of tropical cyclone Kong-rey which battered Taiwan on August 29 and 30. They provided warm meals and packs of daily necessities, moved 70 people from a senior center to the safety of a hospital and gave support and comfort to those affected by the disaster.

In response to the heavy rain, the volunteers set up a relief co-ordination center in the branch office of each county, to distribute cooked food, help people clean their homes and bring comfort and psychological support to those affected.

On August 29, heavy rain fell on many districts of Tainan. The Wuja Education and Nursing Institute was also flooded. The volunteers went there to provide cooked meals and packs with daily necessities; they also helped the residents move temporarily to the center’s former site on higher ground. At five o’clock on the morning of August 30, volunteers at the Shanhua branch and Sinying office were already preparing food in the kitchens, to ensure that those in need did not go hungry. They also provided them packs containing daily necessities.

Volunteer Zhang Wen-lang said: “the heavy rain interrupted some transport links, flooding the intersection of Zhengzhong road and second section of Baoan Road in the Tiancuo area of Rende district. Lin Jiang-xi, chief of the Tiancuo area, was monitoring the safety of residents and informed the volunteers. After 9.30 a.m., the flood waters rose without warning and spread everywhere from the road. In a short time, the water spread up to your knees.”

Immediately, the volunteers provided comfort and cooked food to those in need. The road in front of the house of volunteer Lin Qing-pin turned into a river; the muddy water made people alarmed. The nearby lane where environmental volunteer Lin Hui-mei lived was also flooded. The volunteers rolled up their trousers and marched into the water. Lin Qing-pin and the other members of Tzu Chi gave the lunch boxes they had prepared to victims of the floods in the community. One of them was Mr. Yang who was standing in his doorway, his feet in the water; he felt very grateful to the volunteers.

In Daqi village of Minsyong , Chiayi, the water level reached the first floor of building. The foundation’s branch in Chiayi distributed 250 boxes of cooked food. In addition, the staff of the Dalin Tzu Chi Hospital moved 70 people from the Shuang-fu-bao senior center – 46 residents and 24 staff – to the hospital, as a matter of urgency; there they provided hot food and other things they needed.

The Tzu Chi Foundation mobilized volunteers to care for their fellow poeople in the communities. They provided comfort, cooked meals and packs of daily necessities to those in the flooded areas of Yunlin, Chiayi, Tainan, Kaohsiung and Pingtung. Master Cheng Yen has shown great concern for the flood situation in the south of Taiwan. She said: “we must never take lightly any flood warning. When such a warning is high, we must raise the awareness of people to take proper preventive action. Those who are safe can show care and friendship for their neighbors, to help them clean their homes damaged by the floods and enable them to return to a normal life as soon as possible.”