20150808心懷感恩平安度 Being Grateful for Peace and Safety
Attention please! We’re going to evacuate the village. May I ask every resident for your cooperation please? This typhoon is powerful. We have to evacuate people. Rains will become heavier later today. It’ll be very dangerous.
IN these few days, I have been grateful to Tzu Chi volunteers across Taiwan for carrying out typhoon prevention measures and see that everyone remains truly cautious and sincerely pious. I also see that Tzu Chi locations all over Taiwan have set up disaster service centers. Tzu Chi volunteers had originally planned to hold a monthly distribution today, which is normally given on the 24th of each lunar month based on Chinese calendar.
In consideration of the approaching typhoon, Tzu Chi volunteers went out to visit care recipients to remind them about the coming typhoon and also to ensure the safety of their homes. Volunteers also brought some instant food to our care recipients to help them cope with the situation. Volunteers also reminded our care recipients not to come to the Abode today because the aid will be delivered to them later. I am grateful to our community volunteers for giving their love and care to our long term care recipients. I am truly very grateful and also much touched by it.
However, yesterday, I heard that in Ren- Ai Taiwan of Nantou County, Taiwan, mudslide has blocked a section of the main road. After hearing Tzu Chi volunteers’ report, I told them: “When it is still dangerous, do not go there. They are Taiwanese aborigines. Although their main road is blocked, people in the tribes are safe. A few days of isolation should pose no threat to their livelihood. Do not risk your life and force your way through the blocked road. That will cause the traffic to be more unsafe.”
That is because Tzu Chi volunteers go to serve people in need without being asked. In responding to such typhoon weather or any other emergency, Tzu Chi volunteers always voluntarily go to serve their communities. Since early this morning, I have been watching the news to monitor the location of the typhoon and its direction. At close to 5 A.M., the news reported that the center of the typhoon made landfall in Toroko, Hualien County.
Upon hitting the mountain range in its path the force of the typhoon has weakened a little. However, in Suao, the wind speed reached class 17, the top of the chart. In Taipei, residents also felt the violent storm. We also see heroes working behind the scene. Out on the streets, police and firefighter are on duty, safeguarding the public. Workers were fixing fallen billboards and power poles, removing fallen trees, etc. the entire night last night for public safety.
We also see that many places lost power. Utility crew were also out working quickly to restore power in the midst of the violent storm. They serve the public bravely for people to be safe without power outage. They give of themselves to do this. How can we not respect them and be grateful? They are unknown heroes who work silently but bravely to safeguard the public safety. Many people give of themselves silently and never receive praise or applause.
This is why in our society, we should raise our awareness and develop gratitude to appreciate others. People really need to discipline themselves and love others in everyday life. I also heard that water has seeped into the mechanical room of the Taipei Tzu Chi Hospital. Fortunately staff of the department of engineering and construction worked quickly to prevent any damages. We can imagine how they must have stayed up all night and worked to safeguard the hospital building.
I’m very grateful to them. Even though there is water damage, the building is still safe. Yet, the staff was very cautious in safeguarding the hospital. I also heard that Asst. Supt. Huang also braved the fierce rain and wind to come to the hospital sometime after 4 A.M. I asked how come he went to the hospital so early in the morning in the midst of the violent storm. He said that he’s worried about the hospital, so he came early to check on things.
All in all, we need to be sincerely vigilant and hope that this typhoon passes quickly and Taiwan is safe and well after the typhoon. We must be sincerely vigilant. I also hope Tzu Chi volunteers take good care of their family and their home as well as their own safety. We need to take care of the community too. But we have to wait until the typhoon has completely passed Taiwan and it’s safe before we can go out.
Of course, don’t travel on mountain roads when they are still dangerous. Safety is the most important thing. I’m truly grateful. I hope everyone abide by their duties. I’m grateful to everyone. While we’re safe and well, we need to be grateful and always harbor a heart of gratitude. Yet, we still need to be on guard and be sincerely vigilant. I hope people don’t go near the ocean to watch the surges for fun.
Absolutely don’t do this. I hope that at this time, people don’t go to the mountains, don’t travel on mountain road and don’t go near the ocean to watch storm surges. I hope people take good care of their own safety so that our society as a whole can be safe. I hope people in society can be calmer and not be easily provoked. Only in this way can we be safe and well.
All in all, I wish everyone safe and well. I saw Tzu Chi volunteers visit our care recipients at their homes. They also help fix the house of vulnerable people with love as well as check on the elderly for typhoon preparation. This makes us feel that society is very caring and peaceful. We should work to keep this harmonious side of society. I hope people in society can stay more calm and peaceful.
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