Hualien Disaster Report: Latest Damage Summary
Hualien Disaster Report
Today I am to be interviewed by Public Television, and I feel extremely uneasy inside. In fact, forty-eight hours ago I rushed back to Hualien from Taipei, having lived through the typhoon disaster, and yesterday morning I drove with volunteers to the severely affected areas of Chongde, Xiulin and Jingmei, as well as the closed intersection of the Suhua Highway. In the evening I took the just-reopened train north, and along the way I saw the terrifying scenes at Daqingshui, Horen, Hozhong, Heping and Nan'ao on the Suhua Highway.
The fragile rock faces, scoured by torrential rain, sent down large amounts of rocks and mud. Had this not happened along the less populated stretch of the Suhua Highway, the number of casualties would probably have been even more terrifying. Even so, on the visible sections of the North Link Railway, one could still see many scenes of earth and rock rushing down from the mountains and spilling over the tracks; the Heping to Horen section of the Suhua Highway was filled with earth and rock, and large sections of many mountain walls had collapsed. If the Suhua Freeway had been fully excavated at the time, who knows how much more terrifying it would have been.
Besides the road damage, the affected residents of Chongde are mainly the shops at the mouth of the Suhua Highway, while the tribal areas where more indigenous people live are largely safe. In the area around the Xiulin Village township office, several households in the north of Xiulin Village were affected, and in the direction of Sanzhan from the township office the damage was extremely severe, with many homes hit by mud and rocks; not only was earth and rock overflowing inside the homes, but much of the furniture was already damaged.
Besides the engineering units clearing earth and rock from the roads, military personnel could be seen everywhere on site assisting residents with cleanup, and about ten people from a certain Christian association were in Xiulin Village helping a certain household with cleanup. Tzu Chi brothers and sisters were conducting visits so as to distribute relief funds immediately. The masters also conducted on-site damage assessments, and the Jing Si Abode adjacent to Jingmei Village was operating normally.
The township office has already set up a shelter for disaster victims, but no temporary kitchen was seen; perhaps because the nearby Xincheng Township and Hualien City had no disaster situation, supplies were very convenient!
As for what cannot be seen from the train on the Suhua Highway, the more densely populated Horen, Hozhong, Heping, Aohua and Nan'ao require further understanding.
What can we do!
First, volunteers are still needed to assist households with cleanup. This work includes the initial clearing of large amounts of earth and rock from affected households, as well as further detailed washing and repairs.
At present it appears that cleanup and restoration require more manpower and a longer period. These are things the military's disaster relief cannot do.
Second, many farm fields were damaged; the local residents grow sweet potatoes, corn and bananas. The sweet potatoes already dug up need to be sold quickly, and the damaged bananas need to be propped up. As for clearing the fields, because the affected area is too large and the earth and rock too thick, it probably cannot be cleared for the time being; the government should cooperate with earth and rock operators in order to help the indigenous residents restore agricultural production.
At the same time, observing on site, the earth and rock this time consisted mainly of stones and mud, not soil, and should be welcomed by sand and gravel operators.
Therefore, we will take the following approach to participate in assistance:
First, we accept everyone's registration to form volunteer teams to help residents clean up their homes. This work should last two to three weeks. Therefore, friends willing to participate can act immediately or take their time. We will provide accommodation and pick-up and drop-off services.
Second, the luggage-carrying activity is changed to Chongde Station, Hanben Station, and cleanup volunteers. Departure is expected on Wednesday. Each needs ten volunteers.
Although the disaster-affected area this time is long and scattered along the Suhua Highway, the number of people is relatively small, and supplies and disaster relief donations should be handled by Tzu Chi or World Vision; we will not set up a supply collection station.
The above is how the public welfare organization and the Good People Hall will proceed; everyone is welcome to participate.
Good People Hall contact http://www.youth-volunteer.org.tw/