Blood is Thicker than Water / 朋友有難 我前往
On August 25th, Typhoon Meari attacked the northern area of Taiwan with violent winds and torrential rain. This natural disaster caused severe damage to villages and towns located in the mountain areas.
◎No time to waste
After the Mayor of Kaohsiung, Chang-ting Hsieh, received calls for assistance from the disaster zone, he immediately directed a relief team to the area, to provide all the help they could, hurrying to Jianshih Village in Hsinchu County himself, in order to understand the extent of the damage. Some areas of Taoyuan County were facing water shortage problems.
The Fire Bureau of Kaohsiung City on August 27th was informed of this by the National Fire Agency, and on the same day the Fire Bureau of Kaohsiung dispatched a human force as well as machines to assist in the most urgent task of resuming the water supply. Up until September 24th, it has been recorded that 880 cars and 2640 tons of water were sent. Real action was thus used to fully support people who had been effected by the disaster.
Jianshih Village in Hsinchu County received the worst damage caused by typhoon Meari. The relief team from Kaohsiung City was the first that provided help. Due to the close relationship formed by living on the same island, Kaohsiung City readily provided assistance to the northern part of Taiwan.
Support offered
The relief team, which was sent to the central disaster zone, represented by the Public Works Bureau of Kaohsiung City, dispensed nine shovel machines, five big trucks, two water pump machines and one tow truck to the area in their effort to provide aid after the disaster. The Environmental Protection Bureau also supplied reinforcements by sending one mud-sucking machine, various miscellaneous disaster relief equipment, food resources and a team of 30 people. They arrived at the disaster zone the day after the typhoon hit the island.
When the team arrived at the disaster zone, the whole place was in total devastation. The foundations of roads had been washed away, bridges had collapsed, dikes were ruined, and mudflows had covered the foundations of bridges. Mudflows had also entered private residences, causing severe damage to people's homes. The situation was almost too horrible to believe.
The disaster-relief team from Kaohsiung City dispersed into five separate teams which spread into Yi- sing village, the Jin-ping and Na-luo communities, Mei-hua village, Sin-le village and Jia-le village, where they proceeded to restore the roads for transportation. In those four days, up until August 30th, a 156 people and 106 machines at a time were sent on various missions to the disaster zone. Vehicles for transporting mud were provided 564 times. In order to repair collapsed roads and to clean approximately 7,000 meters of road surface, teams of helpers were deployed 64 times in total.
Pull together
Mayor Hsieh emphasied that when natural disasters of any significance occur, a county or city alone doesn't usually have the resources to provide adequate post-disaster relief and rehabilitation. Therefore, people should work in cooperation with each other and contribute a concerted effort. We should all show a mutual concern for others who are, after all, our fellow countrymen. When calamities occur, it's time to deliver any form of help we can and to share the resources we have at our disposal.
艾莉颱風在今年八月廿五日夾著狂風暴雨，無情的侵襲北台灣，造成多處位於山區的鄉鎮災情嚴重。
高雄市長謝長廷在接獲災區求援電話後，立即指示市府「艾利颱風中部災區救災大隊」前往救援外，同時他也連夜趕往新竹縣尖石鄉瞭解災情。大桃園地區的自來水供應也因此出現嚴重缺水的問題，高雄市政府消防局於八月二十七日接獲消防署通報後，同日即機動調派人力與機具，支援桃園地區的供水問題，至九月二十四日，經統計本次支援送水勤務計出車八八○車次，送出水二六四○噸，以實際的行動，全力支援災區的同胞。
新竹縣尖石鄉也是這次颱風受創最慘烈的災區之一，高雄市的救災大隊是第一個伸出援手的地方縣市，基於縣市命運共同體的患難情誼，北上支援救災行動。
高雄市的「艾利颱風中部災區救災大隊」由工務局調派鏟裝機組九組、大卡車五部、抽水機二部、吊卡車一部及環保局支援一部吸泥車等救災器具、物資及卅一名人員組成，在災情發生後的翌日立即開拔到災區。
抵達災區現場，悽風苦雨，滿目瘡痍，道路因路基淘空而柔腸寸斷，橋樑則是斷裂坍塌，堤防更是全毀，土石流不只淹沒了橋墩，更漫流進民宅，造成房屋嚴重移位傾倒，真是慘不忍睹。
市府救災大隊即刻兵分五組，深入義興村、錦屏社區那羅社區、梅花村、新樂村及嘉樂村，展開道路搶通工作，截至八月卅日，協助災區的四天裡，總計出勤一百五十六人次，派出機具一百零六輛次，清運土方五百六十四車次，搶通道路坍方六十四次，清洗路面近七千公尺。
市長謝長廷也在第一時間趕赴新竹縣尖石鄉及南投縣，瞭解災情及災區所需要的協助。他強調，重大天然災害發生時，後續的救援及重建工作，往往非任一縣市能獨力負擔，因此，大家應該建立台灣是命運共同體的觀念，同舟共濟，在災難發生時彼此支援，資源共享。