The Red Cross Society urged the public yesterday to do more to help earthquake victims in Iran.
"So far we have only raised NT$6 million from the public, and it is not responding strongly enough to the relief effort," society president Chen Chang-wen (陳長文) said.
"It might seem that Iran is a long way away from us, but Taiwan is an affluent society that can give more. We are spending millions of dollars on the election campaign and missiles, and compared to that, 5 or 6 million is not much," he said.
At a press conference yesterday, Hsueh Ming-Yuan (薛明圓), the secretary of the Red Cross' social services department, described the seriousness of the situation in Bam.
"When I first arrived in Bam, all I could see was shattered houses everywhere. Virtually the whole city is destroyed," Hsueh said.
Hsueh traveled to Iran on Dec. 27 with the National Fire Agency and the Taipei City Fire Department to see the damage the earthquake had caused and evaluate the need for relief supplies.
Hsueh said that, according to official statistics, over 90 percent of the houses in Bam collapsed and over 50 percent of the population died.
"It is really cold in Iran right now," Hsueh said.
"It's usually between 5oC and 6oC at night. We had to sleep in sleeping bags and with blankets under and over us. With weather like that, blankets are vital to the relief effort," Hsueh said.
Hsueh said that his hands had suffered frostbite.
Hsueh added that when the Taiwanese delegation arrived in Bam, most Iranians had only a vague impression of Taiwan, but after a few days, the people there were very appreciative toward Taiwan for its relief assistance.
World Vision Taiwan has also raised about NT$5 million for its relief effort but the organization said the project would need more money soon.
According to the Red Cross, the Iranian Red Crescent has been authorized by the Iranian government to take charge of the relief effort.
The Red Crescent has been setting up shelters and handing out tents, blankets and other relief supplies to quake victims.
It has also set up a major hospital and four mobile hospitals to provide the area with medical services, as well as providing water purification equipment.
Those who wish to give money to the Red Cross can wire money to the society's postal bank account -- 15978888. The donation should specify that the money is to be used for the relief program in Iran (
Three Taiwanese airlines have prohibited passengers from packing Bluetooth earbuds and their charger cases in checked luggage. EVA Air and Uni Air said that Bluetooth earbuds and charger cases are categorized as portable electronic devices, which should be switched off if they are placed in checked luggage based on international aviation safety regulations. They must not be in standby or sleep mode. However, as charging would continue when earbuds are placed in the charger cases, which would contravene international aviation regulations, their cases must be carried as hand luggage, they said. Tigerair Taiwan said that earbud charger cases are equipped
Foreign travelers entering Taiwan on a short layover via Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport are receiving NT$600 gift vouchers from yesterday, the Tourism Administration said, adding that it hopes the incentive would boost tourism consumption at the airport. The program, which allows travelers holding non-Taiwan passports who enter the country during a layover of up to 24 hours to claim a voucher, aims to promote attractions at the airport, the agency said in a statement on Friday. To participate, travelers must sign up on the campaign Web site, the agency said. They can then present their passport and boarding pass for their connecting international
Temperatures in northern Taiwan are forecast to reach as high as 30°C today, as an ongoing northeasterly seasonal wind system weakens, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. CWA forecaster Tseng Chao-cheng (曾昭誠) said yesterday that with the seasonal wind system weakening, warmer easterly winds would boost the temperature today. Daytime temperatures in northern Taiwan and Yilan County are expected to range from 28°C to 30°C today, up about 3°C from yesterday, Tseng said. According to the CWA, temperature highs in central and southern Taiwan could stay stable. However, the weather is expected to turn cooler starting tonight as the northeasterly wind system strengthens again
Taiwan sweltered through its hottest October on record, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday, the latest in a string of global temperature records. The main island endured its highest average temperature since 1950, CWA forecaster Liu Pei-teng said. Temperatures the world over have soared in recent years as human-induced climate change contributes to ever more erratic weather patterns. Taiwan’s average temperature was 27.381°C as of Thursday, Liu said. Liu said the average could slip 0.1°C by the end of yesterday, but it would still be higher than the previous record of 27.009°C in 2016. "The temperature only started lowering around Oct. 18 or 19
RSS