The Mustard Seed Mission start earthquake disaster response measures to provide earthquake-affected families and people with supplies and emergency relief funds
Several 6 Richter magnitude strong earthquakes occurred in Hualien and Taitung in these two days, causing serious disasters such as the collapse of buildings and school buildings in the urban area. The Mustard Seed Mission (MSM) immediately launches disaster relief work in Hualien and provided food, daily supplies, and emergency relief funds. Besides, MSM opened its space in the Vocational Training Center as a temporary shelter for the affected families and people, caring for and accompanying people in the disaster area through difficult times. For MSM’s social workers and cooperated churches continued to provide care and assistance to MSM sponsored children who were affected by the disaster.
MSM initiated disaster response measures in response to the earthquake. By the time the earthquake happened, MSM team immediately contacted the partner churches and communities in Hualien and Taitung to check the situation, and the team also provided care for the local families that MSM serves and collected reports on the disaster for further rescue operations. The Taitung Lidao Tribe, Wulu Tribe, and Xiama Tribe all experienced power outages and traffic interruptions. The Lidao Tribe had a poor communication system and the food in the grain storage warehouse which was set by MSM has been all distributed. MSM provided food and daily supplies to the mountain as soon as possible. The social workers also provided tents, supplies, etc. to Yuli county and its neighboring towns, so that families in need could be resettled and fed.
Torbors Chyuan, director of the Social Assistance Department of MSM, said that MSM has a professional team responsible for community disaster prevention and relief services. On weekdays, the team is not only committed to cultivating the community’s response strategies to face disasters and organizing community disaster relief teams to simulate drills, etc., but also keeps abreast of any disaster situation at any time and provides immediate and nearby services through the community mutual aid network. In response to the earthquake, the social worker drove a food bank transfer ven to Hualien and Taitung overnight with sufficient supplies for the post-earthquake responses. In addition to providing supplies to the people in the disaster area, MSM also provided emergency relief funds for affected people to apply for. The relief funds will be issued to affected people after social workers finish the assessment. MSM’s Vocational Training Center in Hualien also became a temporary shelter for the affected people during the earthquake.
According to the Central Meteorological Administration, aftershocks may continue in recent days, people are called to alert. MSM reminds people immediately find a safe place to cover and take shelter on the spot when the earthquake shakes. Besides, MSM encourages people to prepare family disaster prevention kits and disaster prevention hoods and plan the ways to protect themselves in advance, and firmly secure items and furniture in their house.
✅ Building Community Disaster Resilience in Taiwan https://msm.pse.is/3vpvzc
