Supreme Master Ching Hai International Association relief news from South Korea. In mid-July, days of heavy torrential rains inundated South Gyeongshang and South Jeolla provinces, leaving 10 people perished or missing, with hundreds of rural residents affected.
Afflicted squash farmer (M): The dam burst and water flooded the greenhouses here.
Goo Bu-Wol – Elderly victim, house collapsed, Seocheon (F): I could have been dead if I had entered the kitchen, who knows? It makes me dizzy to think of it.
VOICE: Immediately donating US$20,000, Supreme Master Ching Hai asked our nearby Association members to help and comfort the most vulnerable, with all her love and prayers.
Upon checking with regional governments, our South Korean relief team found that while many families had been helped already, some still awaited aid.
Afflicted squash farmer (M): They all rotted and I can’t sell them. More than 50% are like this.
VOICE: On July 20, our Association’s relief team helped to clear a flooded farm and salvage the crops of elderly farmers. A hospital visit was also made to an injured elder who had lost his wife to the rains. He thanked Supreme Master Ching Hai for the gift of US$2,000 and her book, “From Crisis to Peace.” Next, the relief team helped repair damaged houses in the hard-hit Seocheon county.
Kim Maeng-Sun – Disaster Control Manager, Seocheon (M): In some areas, mudslides struck the backs of many houses and caused huge damages. For those areas, it’s very difficult for excavation equipment to even approach.
Since such places need a lot of manpower, I really appreciate the Supreme Master Ching Hai International Association’s volunteer work.
Goo Bu-Wol – Elderly victim, Seocheon (F): Thank you for your help, especially when I’m in need, having lost my house.
VOICE: Traveling to the isolated island of Gaeyado, the relief team piled sand bags to prevent further landslides, then visited a bereaved family and an elderly living alone, sharing also information about the urgent vegan solution to climate change.
Kim Dong-Ryul – Elderly resident, Gaeyado Island (M): I can’t express my thanks enough for your work and for building the embankment.
Kim Young-Lan – Livelihood support manager, Gunsan City Gov. (F): Supreme Master Ching Hai donated condolence money to the bereaved families, and I thank her from my heart.
Bae Yang-Hee – Bereaved victim (F): I’m truly grateful that such an organization exists.
VOICE: With appreciation for the South Korean regional governments' assistance to people in need, we also thank Supreme Master Ching Hai for her timely loving aid from afar, as well as our Association’s relief team for their conscientious efforts. We pray for the steady recovery of the storm-affected and the minimizing of such disasters through our eco-friendlier ways.
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