On July 28, Tzu Chi volunteers cleared mud from an elderly woman's home in the Madou area of Tainan. | Photo courtesy of Wan-Ching Shen | Tainan, Taiwan | 2024/07/28

On July 28, Tzu Chi Southern Region volunteers formed teams to assist residents in flood-hit areas. They brought their own cleaning tools, helped remove flooded furniture, and cleared away mud. Typhoon Gaemi caused severe damage, terrifying many elderly residents who lived alone. The sight of these helpless seniors was heart-wrenching.

Volunteers Comfort Frightened Elderly

Social worker Yu-Hsuan Liao comforts Grandma Liang-chou Wang- Hsieh, trying to ease her anxiety. | Photo courtesy of Shu-ying Huang | | Yunlin, Taiwan | 2024/07/28

93-year-old Liang-chou Wang-Hsieh from Yunlin was moved to tears when Tzu Chi volunteers visited. She recounted how the typhoon's heavy rains flooded her home, which is in a low-lying area. Reflecting on the event, she still felt scared. Her son, Yong-Shun Wang, who rushed from Sanchong, Taipei, to visit his mother, was deeply grateful for the volunteers’ care. When social worker Yu-Hsuan Liao read out Master Cheng Yen's letter of care and presented the care package, both mother and son were very moved.

75-year-old Gui-Ping Wang points to the wall tiles, showing volunteers how high the water reached inside his home. | Photo courtesy of Yu-Ju Li | Yunlin, Taiwan | 2024/07/28

75-year-old Yunlin farmer, Gui-Ping Wang, whose rice field was completely flooded, pointed out that he had never seen such persistent, heavy rain. He showed the volunteers the flood marks on his walls, which reached one meter high. Tzu Chi volunteers empathized deeply with his plight.

Volunteers Mobilize to Help with Cleanup

Tzu Chi volunteers mobilized like an army of ants, working together to help residents clean their homes and wishing them a swift return to normal life. | Photo courtesy of Che-Fu Shih | Chiayi, Taiwan | 2024/07/28

To help residents in southern counties and cities return to normalcy, Tzu Chi volunteers started household cleaning activities in flooded areas on July 28. Kaohsiung volunteer Jin-Gui Hou, whose own home was also flooded, quickly cleaned her house and joined the team, saying, “We can take care of our own home later.” The volunteers' selfless dedication was evident throughout the relief efforts.

In Tainan, volunteers assisted in post-disaster cleanup for care households and families. Over 50 volunteers gathered on July 28 to help an elderly woman, and her caregiver clean the mud-filled home.

On the morning of the 28th, Tzu Chi volunteers went to Liuxin Village, Shuishang Township, Chiayi County, to help residents in the Liuzilin Meishangmei community clean up their damaged homes. | Photo courtesy of Zhefu Shi | Chiayi, Taiwan | 2024/07/28

In Liuxin Village, Shuishang Township, Chiayi County, a community near the Bazhang River, over a hundred Tzu Chi volunteers and local cleaning crews worked together to clear the flooded area on July 28.

By July 28, Tzu Chi volunteers had cleaned mud and moved debris for 33 elderly and disabled households, 5 Tzu Chi Dharma families, and Houbi Tzu Hui Temple in Tainan. From July 23 to 28, volunteers visited 2,905 affected households in Kaohsiung, Pingtung, Chiayi, and Yunlin, delivering 2,493 blessing gifts and consolation money to 42 households. They also prepared 26,148 hot meals, 361 foldable beds, and 105 partition tents for those in need, mobilizing 822 volunteers.

Report by Yi-Chien Chen, Shu-Ying Huang, Yu-Ju Li, Che-Fu Shih | Taiwan | July 28, 2024