Taiwan Church News
3840 Edition
Sept. 29 ~ Oct 5, 2025
Weekly Topical After an Overflow of Land-Slided-Lake, Volunteers Rush to Rescue Inundated Mataian Tribe Reported by Lin Yi-ying from Hualian The strong Typhoon Ragusa brought into Taiwan a super swirl of rain, causing a disastrous overflow of the land-slides-lake formed at Mataian Creek in Hualien County. On September 23, the overflow waters ran down ferociously with sands and stones, causing the Mataian community, Kuang-Fu Town, and Atamo community of Tong-Fu Village inundated. Up to Sept 29th, 18 people were killed and 7 missing. After the disaster, Tafalong Church, which is adjacent to the Mataian community, set up a first-aid response and rescue center immediately, and opened its building for Senior Citizen Pastoral Center as a temporary shelter. In addition, Fata’an Church also opened its church, and invited veteran pastors, both Rev Hana Oping and Rev Ohayan Namoh, to assist the inflicted to rehabilitate. To prepare and implement PCT rescue operation, Rev Ng Tiat-gan, secretary of PCT Church and Society Committee, arrived at Tafalong Church on Sept 24th. Later, Rev Omi Wilang, former secretary of Indigenous Mission Committee(IMC), Rev Yabu Eyo, former IMC commissioner for agricultural industry & development, worked closely with Rev Miyan Ado, general secretary of ‘Amis Presbytery, Rev Lo^oh Karo, secretary of Church and Society Committee of ‘Ami’s Presbytery, Rev Namoh A-rang and others to figure out the a road map to offer first-aid response. After the emergency plan was delivered to Rev Chen Hsin-Laing, general secretary of PCT, General Assembly immediately approved and remitted NT$ 200,000 to ‘Amis Presbytery as first-aid relief. The Church and Society Committee sent a pastoral letter at the first time to all churches of ‘Amis presbytery and called on all brothers and sisters to deliver intercession and take care of lives and properties for the inflicted. The pastoral letter read: May God protect the inflicted victims’ evacuation and rehabilitation safe and smooth; Pray for the households who had been inundated and their properties had gone; May God comforts the traumatized and the needy; Pray a safe rescue operation for front-line rescue workers; May God gives the inflicted wisdom and strength to respond without fears; May the first-aid response center of Tafalong Church become beacon for goodness and good news; May the weather turns sunny and no more inundation disaster; May God has mercy on the earth, so that the repercussion of nature can be avoided and His peace to arrive soon. Vice President Hsiao Bi-Kim went to Tafalong Church on September 24 and listened to the briefing of Rev Namoh Arang, pastor of Tafalong Church. President Lai Ching-te went to Fata’an Church on the afternoon on Sept 25th to express his comforts to the affected households, promising that his administration would do its best to support the inflicted of this destructive inundation and expressed condolences to the people who died and missing unfortunately. Rev Namoh Arang reported current church actions for the inflicted as specified below: the first batch of resources sent from Taitung County was delivered in the early morning on Sept 24th; Farming Fellowship of Indigenous Mission was assigned to manage post-disaster rehabilitation; a special group has been sent to coordinate management and distribution of rescue resources; four nurses and five care-givers stationed in Senior Citizen Pastoral Center of Tafalong Church; Family Fellowship of Tafalong Church was set up to cater meals; the number of church volunteers who came to disaster relief has reached up to 580 persons/times. Except the church of Hualien areas had sent volunteers into inundated area to help, Top-Church at San-Shia Town of New Taipei City had sent in youth to help Fata’an Church on Sept 25th; The Mustard Seed Mission and the Chinese Christian Relief Association had set up service station in Tafalong and Mataian villages to assist material loadings and human force allocation; on Sept 25th and 26th, teachers and students of Yu-Shan Theological Seminary and College went to the Tafalong First-Aid Response Center to assist materials transfer and distribution; Both Truku and Bunun Presbyteries sent in volunteers on Sept 26th; ‘Amis Pesbytery summoned its church volunteers to enter into the affected area on Sept 27th and 28th to assist the clean-up jobs; Tayal Presbytery called a large group of church youth to help clean up the affected households on Sept 29th. Due to a large amount of water, sand and stones still stuck at Mataian Creek, it is very likely to happen overflow again when it rains. Therefore, Prof Wu Jie-ying, chairman of PCT Church and Society Committee and director of the Department of Urban Development and Graduate Studies of Taipei City University, warned voluntary rescue workers at Tafalong and Mataian to evacuate to high places immediately, including first-aid resources and personnel. Otherwise, an evacuation deferral would be life-threatening and deadly, he said. Calling on PCT members to care and pray for the devastating flood at Kuang-Fu village in Hualien County, PCT Church and Society Committee also provides the donation informations as below: Post office account, named as “Mission Foundation of The Presbyterian Church in Taiwan”, with its account number: 1956-6285. Please also note : “Offering for flood disaster in Kuang-Fu Township, Hualien.” For detailed information, please dial telephone number886-2-2362-5282#255. Translated by Peter Wolfe |