Taiwan Church News 3737 Edition October 9 ~ 15, 2023 Weekly Topical Rescue Needed, the Orchid Island Battered by the Strongest Typhoon Ever Reported by Lin Yi-ying After typhoon Koinu swept across southern Taiwan, the Hengchun Peninsula and Orchid Island were seriously damaged. The Tao ethnic group on the Orchid island held an emergency meeting in the afternoon of October 8 to support each other, clean up the mess and figure out a plan to restore. The devastated damage is now still under count and check, and the amount of loss is expected to submit to the Church and Society Committee of the PCT General Assembly for financing an emergency relief. After learning the typhoon causalities from Evangelist Si Maliya, general secretary of the Tao Ethnic District Assembly, the Shuang-Lian Church of Chi-Hsin Presbytery immediately donated NT$ 100,000 for the typhoon-inflicted Orchid island. The Tao Ethnic District Assembly had distributed this first-aid money equally to the disaster-stricken churches to buy daily supplies within an emergency meeting. For the devastation incurred to the people in southern Taiwan, the Jesus Christ Church in Japan (JCCJ) also immediately expressed its concerns to the PCT. Evangelist Si Maliya said, to the best of his knowledge, this typhoon Koinu was the most destructive one ever in the history of Orchid Island. Almost all the fishing boats in the harbor were capsized, and some boats were even blown ashore onto the land. Cars on the land were turned upside down. The iron roofs of many houses were blown away, and the doors and windows of the church were seriously broken. Almost all the furniture and equipment inside the buildings were soaked in the rain. Due to the power shortage, almost all the food in the refrigerator began to rot and smell. The congregations here in the Orchid island were all appreciated to Shuang-Lian Church to deliver first-aid immediately to the Tao Ethnic District Assembly and support them with concerns and prayers, Evangelist Si Maliya remarked. Up to October 9th, Rev Syaman Yokalaman, Minister of the Tao Ethnic District Assembly, reported that through the efforts of Taipower, Chunghwa Telecom and the Military, the entire Orchid Island, has gradually restored in its electricity, cable communication and traffics around the island. The damages to each church are specified as follows: 1. Jivalino Church: The left and right sides of the front door and the windshield were damaged, and the roof of warehouse was broken; 2. Jiranmelek Church: The front door window and toilet door were damaged, and the roof eaves of kitchen are broken; 3. Jiraraley Church: the front door and side door were damaged, and many glass windows in the chapel were broken; 4. Jiyayo Church: the main door and side door were damaged, and the left wall collapsed; 5. Jimorod Church : Roof crashed. Payuan Presbytery also has serious causalities: 1. The light steel frame amid the chapel of the Ciusinglun Church was swept collapsed due to strong wind; 2. The iron roof of a civilian house, owned by a lay Christian surnamed Lin from the Drakki Church, and located opposite to Ciulaku Church in Manzou Township, Pingtung County, was totally ripped off by the typhoon. The dire situation of Mr Lin and his family is in need of support and concerns. In addition, the iron roof of the basketball court in Naywen Village, Hsize Township, Pingtung County was seriously damaged. Since the Orchid Island is in the very period of post-disaster relief and repairs, air-plane tickets and ferry passes have been granted to relevant groups in priority. Rev Chen Bor-hsiung, director of the PCT Church and Society Committee, was originally scheduled to go to Orchid Island to survey the typhoon disaster on October 9th, but decided to postpone the trip to avoid affecting the disaster relief. Rev Chen expressed that post-disaster cleanup requires a lot of labor and resources, and he hopes that all church pastors, brothers and sisters to care, concern and pray for the Orchid people. For the up-to-date information on the rescue and restoration of the Orchid Island, please follow the Facebook websites of the PCT, Rev Chen pleaded. Information for charity are as follows: Account Number via Chunghwa Post: “19566285”, Account name “The Mission Foundation of the PCT”, please note “Charity for the Suffered due to Typhoon Koinu” when the money is sent. Translated by Peter Wolfe |