By Li-Wei Sung | Communications and Development Officer
Taiwan Red Cross had launched several on-site delivery projects at Kun Shan Elementary School in Tainan City since a major earthquake hit the southern part of Taiwan earlier in February this year. The financial assistance is divided into several categories – condolence pay for the bereaved families, monetary support for the injured needing recovery care, monetary support for amputees, emergency welfare fund, monetary support for relocation and monetary support for household appliances.
Among the victims of the 0206 Tainan Earthquake, residents of the Weiguan Jinlong building were seriously affected by the quake. They have formed an Affected Household Committee and appointed Yi-Chen to be the Chairwoman and Zhi-Peng to be the Vice-chairman. Yi-Chen and Zhi-Peng presented a Certificate of Appreciation to Taiwan Red Cross, which expressed the most sincere gratitude from the Weiguan Jinlong residents for the immeasurable support provided by the TRC staffs.
Yi-Chen’s husband and three children had perished in the earthquake. She lost all of her family members and her home. As the chairwoman of the committee, Yi-Chen devotes herself fulltime to the recovery of the Weiguan Jinlong building households. “The residents’ benefits and rights are my priority,” said Yi-Chen, “I will take care of my own benefit later.” The TRC staffs talked to several beneficiaries during the delivery projects, and many of them shared inspiring stories that greatly encouraged the Taiwan Red Cross in continuing the humanitarian work.
We still have each other – Chun-Lan, beneficiary
Chun-Lan and her son arrived at the delivery site before 10 in the morning. The first impression that Chun-Lan gave to other was bright and energetic. It is hard to imagine that she had actually gone through an alarmingly dangerous moment when the earthquake struck the southern part of Taiwan.
“Luckily it [the earthquake] occurred during the time of Chinese Lunar New Year when my sons were all back home,” said Chun-Lan, “I just had a surgical operation done not long ago. My son carried me on his back to climb down a rope to escape.” Chun-Lan is optimistic about the future because she and her three sons were fortunate enough to safely escape from the collapsed building. She told the TRC staff, “Nothing is more important than the lives of your loved ones.”
No place for sorrow – Mei-Lan, beneficiary
Both Mei-Lan and her 90-year-old mother are victims of the collapsed Weiguan Jinlong building. A calm mind, the ability to find quick-witted solutions and a strong faith helped them survived the deadly catastrophe. Mei-Lan had read books related to disaster prevention and survival and knew the importance of staying hydrated. She made a prompt decision of drinking urine and shouting at the light source when trapped in the collapsed building and was successfully rescued.
Although she lost everything, she is grateful for being alive with her mother. Mei-Lan thinks herself as an optimistic person. Now she lives with her mother in a rented residence near a park. They enjoy the sunshine in the park and appreciate the goodness of life. In fact, her life is now filled with caring messages from the public that she has no place for sorrow. According to Mei-Lan, those caring messages and TRC’s support deeply encourage her and help keep her face to the sunshine.
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By Li-Wei Sung | Project Leader
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