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MORAKOT: THE AFTERMATH: Volunteers flock to join relief efforts

A group of villagers who needed medical attention wait in a field to board a helicopter yesterday after it brought emergency supplies for the community in Taiho, Meishan Township, Chiayi County, where roads have been cut off by landslides. PHOTO: CNA

Thousands of volunteers joined donation centers across the south yesterday to help collect and distribute items for flood victims, with some centers asking the public to hold off on making donations of goods for a few days.

More than 600 Bulletin Board System users in Kaohsiung and another 400 volunteers joined Kaohsiung City Government efforts, helping by unloading, separating and boxing up goods donated by residents of Kaohsiung and elsewhere.

The city hall lobby and front corridor were filled with thousands of boxes of goods ranging from bottled water to blankets, canned food, clothes, toiletries, flashlights and batteries.

Throughout the day, the volunteers stood in long lines, passing along boxes to transport them in and out of the building.

MASSIVE RESPONSE

Huang Chao-huan (¶À©Û´«), deputy director-general of Kaohsiung City Government¡¦s Social Affairs Bureau, estimated that at least 40 busloads of goods were distributed to disaster-affected communities around the county on Monday and yesterday.

Major donations by Taiwanese businesses after Morakot: ¡¹Delta Electronics Inc (¥x¹F¹q):US$15.2 million ¡¹Foxconn Technology Group (ÂE®ü¶°¹Î):US$12.2 million ¡¹Formosa Plastics Group (¥x¶ì¶°¹Î):US$6.1 million ¡¹Quanta Computers (¼s¹F¹q¸£):US$3 million ¡¹AU Optronics Corp (¤Í¹F¥ú¹q):US$3 million ¡¹BenQ Group (©ú°ò¤Í¹F¶°¹Î):US$3 million ¡¹Far Eastern Group (»·ªF¶°¹Î):US$1.8 million ¡¹Ting Hsin International Group (³»·s¶°¹Î):US$913,000 ¡¹LiteOn Technology Corporation (¥úÄ_¶°¹Î):US$913,000 ¡¹Chinatrust Group (¤¤«H¶°¹Î):US$609,000 ¡¹Fubon Financial Holdings (´I¨¹ª÷±±):US$609,000 ¡¹Chunghwa Telecom (¤¤µØ¹q«H):US$609,000 ¡¹Shin Kong Financial Holding Co (·s¥úª÷±±):US$609,000 ¡¹Taishin Holdings (¥x·sª÷±±):US$457,000 ¡¹E-United Group (¸qÁp¶°¹Î):US$457,000 ¡¹Uni-President Group (²Î¤@¶°¹Î):US$304,000 ¡¹National Women¡¦s League of the Republic of China :US$304,000 ¡¹Test Rite Group (¯S¤O¶°¹Î):US$304,000 (in goods) ¡¹Taiwan Life Insurance Co Ltd (¥xÆW¤H¹Ø):US$152,000 ¡¹Weichuan Corp (¨ý¥þ¤½¥q):US$152,000(in goods including instant noodles, mineral water, and baby formula, which it transported to disaster areas) Major donations by public figures: ★Koo Kwang-ming (辜寬敏), former presidential adviser:US$913,000 ★Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌), former premier:US$63,000 ★Wu Poh-hsiung (吳伯雄), KMT chairman:US$60,000 ★Jay Chou (周杰倫), singer:US$60,000 ★Sean Lien (連勝文), Taipei EasyCard Corp chairman:US$46,000 ★Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), Democratic Progressive Party chairperson:US$30,000 ★Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁), former president:US$30,000(US$15,000 each to Kaohsiung County and Tainan County) ★Wang Jin-pyng (王金平), legislative speaker:US$30,000

Huang said the city government was no longer accepting bottled water and hot food at the moment but was still accepting other items.

Tainan County¡¦s donation center said it had received more than 1,600 boxes of bottled water but was in dire need of medical supplies, canned food and flashlights.

In Taitung County¡¦s Taimali Township (¤Ó³Â¨½), organizers asked the public to stop donating all items for now because the donation center did not have space to store it. The public can check the Internet for information on what goods the township needs and when.

To donate to the relief effort Visit typhoon.adct.org.tw/donation/comment-page-1/ Non-profit organizations that are accepting donations: 1. The Buddhist Compassionate Relief Tzu Chi Foundation www.tzuchi.org.tw/ postal account No: 06887791 2. The Red Cross Society of the Republic of China postal account No. 14341596 web.redcross.org.tw/ 3. World Vision Taiwan postal account No. 15752467 www.worldvision.org.tw/ 4. City and county donation centers: Pingtung County (08) 736-5600 Kaohsiung City and County (07) 337-3366 Tainan County (06) 511-5692 Chiayi County (05) 362-2119

TVBS on Monday held a telethon featuring a handful of celebrities and entertainers, including singer Pauline Lan (ÂŤߵD), who auctioned one of her designer bags for NT$450,000, and musician Huang Kuo-lun (¶À°ê­Û), who donated NT$500,000.

China Television Co, the Public Television Service and Hakka TV will also hold telethons in collaboration with the Red Cross Society of the Republic of China.

Meanwhile, President Ma Ying-jeou (°¨­^¤E) telephoned 11 local government heads in central and northern Taiwan yesterday, asking them to provide resources to the areas hit hardest by Morakot.

Presidential Office Spokesman Wang Yu-chi (¤ý­§µa) said Ma made the calls yesterday morning after talking to Premier Liu Chao-shiuan (¼B¥ü¥È). He talked to Taichung Mayor Jason Hu (­J§Ó±j) and 10 other county commissioners and city mayors, Wang said.

Wang said Ma asked them to supply manpower, resources and machinery to the relief efforts, to which the local heads said they had begun doing so one or two days ago.

Wang said National Fire Agency Director-General Huang Chi-min (¶À©u±Ó) was coordinating the resources to ensure they are allocated effectively. Liu has designated Minister Without Portfolio Tsai Hsun-hsiung (½²¾±¶¯) to mediate if necessary, Wang said.

ONE DAY¡¦S PAY

Also yesterday, the Presidential Office asked its employees to each donate one day¡¦s pay to the relief funds.

The donations will go to government purchases of daily necessities for flood victims and to reconstruction projects, the office said. It said the amount was small but should set an example.

Meanwhile, Taipei City, spared from the devastation, set up a relief account yesterday for residents to donate money.

City employees were encouraged to donate one day of pay. In addition, Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin (°qÀsÙy) donated NT$100,000.

Since Saturday, the city has dispatched rescue and recovery teams and equipment to disaster areas and helped rescue more than 500 people, Hau said. More personnel and equipment were sent yesterday morning.

MAILING PARCELS

Meanwhile, the Post Office is working with the Red Cross Society of the Republic of China and the Pingtung and Taitung county governments to deliver aid parcels to Red Cross centers and local government departments in the flood-stricken counties from today through Thursday next week.

Anyone can post an aid parcel for free.

The items needed most are articles for daily use such as bottled water, biscuits, dried or canned food and clean clothes. Donors should write the contents of the parcel in indelible ink, along with the words ¡§Relief parcel, non-returnable¡¨ (±Ï¨a¥]ùاK¤©°h¦^) and their signature. Donors may take the parcels to any Post Office and ask staff for assistance addressing them to Red Cross branches or the offices of Pingtung or Taitung County governments.

ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY LEE WEN-YI
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