Buddhist Compassion Relief Tzu Chi Foundation

Late on the night of July 31, 2014, a series of gas explosions, caused by a leaking underground pipeline, struck the districts of Cianjhen and Lingya in Kaohsiung in south Taiwan. People in the affected areas are still in a state of shock. Tzu Chi volunteers began to visit them to deliver aid and blessings. At the same time, they are looking for families who will need more assistance.

The volunteers have been visiting residents who live near the blast site. In addition to sharing kind words and caring hearts, they prepared gift packs containing Tzu Chi's instant rice and instant noodles, as well as booklets of Jing Si Aphorisms; these will both look after their immediate needs and put their minds at ease. Volunteers also bring Master Cheng Yen's blessing and concern to each family. Grandma Chung said that, after receiving a cooked meal from Tzu Chi following the explosion, she felt very happy to see volunteers visit her again. Many people said that they felt warm and touched when the volunteers came to their doorstep with the Master's blessings.

Volunteers have been divided into teams for house visits; they wish to comfort them and set their hearts at ease. In her letter of condolence, Master Cheng Yen prays that everyone will turn their fear into blessings and their wounds into Great Love. “Let us work together, support each other and pray for a world without disasters.”

For days, the rain was pouring down and flooding the disaster area. On August 13, more than 1,000 Tzu Chi volunteers from different cities gathered in Kaohsiung. Equipped with rain coats and boots, they began home visits one by one.

On August 12, a total of 1,442 volunteers were mobilized. Up to that day, the foundation had served over 45,689 hot meals and organized a total of 15,693 volunteers. Over a period of seven days, they visited 10,852 families.

During the visits, the volunteers are also focusing on the houses that were damaged and the families who are disadvantaged; they survey the need for medium- and long- term care, including study subsidies, medicine, cleaning the home environment and house repair.