Âu Lạc

Due to the worsening effect of climate change, in 2011 several natural disasters occurred consecutively in different parts of Âu Lạc. Being deeply concerned about the welfare of the people, Supreme Master Ching Hai provided a generous fund to assist our local Association members with relief operations.

Extreme Weather Relief  

In addition to the unusually cold weather that struck the area in early 2011, the people of Quảng Phú village, in the Cư Jút district, of Đăk Nông province in central Aulac endured destructive flooding and drought. Unable to afford the cost of rebuilding their collapsed houses, many people were living in temporary makeshift bamboo huts.

With the US$9,000 contribution from Master, our local Association members purchased 3,000 kgs of rice, 155 boxes of instant noodles, along with 15 wheelchairs and some metal corrugated roofing sheets to make those affected by the disasters more comfortable during this tragic time. On the morning of June 27 at a local church, a large crowd received supplies from the relief team with excitement and joy after the parish priest Anton Nguyễn Phi Hùng said a prayer to thank God for sending Hiers messengers to help the people. The team also provided cash assistance to households that had suffered greater loss. The following day, 15 needy patients were each given a wheelchair.

In August, the team prepared about 278 packages that included a variety of food, blankets and school supplies and distributed these to several villages in Quế Sơn district in Quảng Nam province as well as to Hương Trà district, Hương Thủy town and Bình Điền town in Thừa Thiên-Huế province. Additional cash was given to the destitute households. Upon receiving Master’s gifts, many people repeatedly thanked Her and wished Her good health.

Tropical Storm Nock-ten Relief

After tracking a path through the Philippines and China, tropical storm Nock-ten hit north-central Âu Lạc creating landslides in the coastal areas. Thankfully, 300,000 people had already been evacuated through the responsive efforts of local officials. Some 2,500 hectares of rice and other crop fields were inundated. The storm also brought heavy rains further south which halted shipping services across the Qiongzhou Strait.

Our Association members contributed US$1,300 in addition to the US$6,000 relief fund provided by Master and travelled to Sa Pa town and Chải Mông village of Tả Van town on July 12 to distribute food, mosquito nets and clothes to the affected people. On August 17, in Đồng Văn town, Quế Phong district of Nghệ An province, the relief team handed out 60 packages of much needed items to the local citizens. About a month later, they took a motorized boat and distributed more supplies to 58 families who were living on the rooftops of their inundated homes. Soon afterwards, they sent food and clothes to the needy villagers in Phú Sơn town, Thanh Hóa province, whose houses had been submerged by a flood.

Flood Relief in the Central and Northeastern Regions

In mid-September, floods caused by prolonged rainfall affected the central and northeastern regions, submerging over 70,000 hectares of rice and other crops while damaging some 1,700 homes. Fatalities were reported in An Phú district of the Mekong Delta province of An Giang. More than 5,000 hectares of rice crops were destroyed in central Thanh Hóa province, with Tĩnh Gia district hardest hit. Master immediately provided US$15,000 for relief aid and our local Association members prepared 610 packages, each containing food and some cash, which they distributed to the residents of Phú Hữu, Vĩnh Lộc, and Vĩnh Hậu towns in An Phú district, An Giang province. The recipients were very happy to receive this timely assistance and conveyed their thanks to Master.

Typhoons Nesat and Nalgae Relief

From the end of September to the middle of October, floods continued to wreak havoc and cause heavy damage to some areas in Central Âu Lạc, as a result of typhoons Nesat and Nalgae. Hundreds of villages became inaccessible, isolating thousands of citizens. Transportation in the provinces of Quảng Bình and Quảng Trị was delayed due to flooded and damaged roads, and more than half of the crops were destroyed.

Expressing Her deep sympathy, Master offered relief assistance of US$10,000, which our local Association members used to purchase and distribute emergency packages to 500 families on October 20 in the towns of Kỳ Tây, Kỳ Thượng, Kỳ Hợp, Kỳ Lạc and Kỳ Nam as well as to the County Association for the Blind, with the help of local officials and the County’s Fatherland Front. Each package contained rice, noodles, vegetable oil and a blanket. They also distributed 150 packages to needy families in Cẩm Hà town, Cẩm Xuyên county, Hà Tĩnh province, and another 100 to those in Triệu Độ town, Triệu Phong county, Quảng Trị province.

Flood Relief in the Southwestern and Central Regions

In mid-October, the worst flooding to hit the nation in over a decade submerged nearly 70,000 homes and damaged almost 22,000 hectares of rice and subsidiary crops in the Mekong Delta region. An Giang, Long An and Đồng Tháp were among the most affected provinces. In the central regions, over 23,500 homes were inundated in the provinces of Quảng Bình, Quảng Trị and Thừa Thiên-Huế, with more than 5,000 residents from Quảng Trị and over 1,300 households in Quảng Bình having to evacuate to safer regions. Mudslides also affected a number of homes in Nghệ An province.

Sending Her love and heartfelt sympathy, Master provided a total of US$15,000 for aid, with US$8,000 used for relief work in the Southwestern region and US$7,000 for the central region.

On October 25 and 26, our local Association members quickly went to An Hiệp town in Châu Thành county, Đồng Tháp province; Khánh An town in An Phú county, An Giang province; and Vĩnh Bửu town in Tân Hưng county, Long An province to distribute 600 packages containing food and cash assistance to the poor families, who were very touched and comforted by the kind gesture.

From October 28 to 31, our relief team distributed another 600 packages to the destitute people in the Hòa Sơn town, Lương Sơn county, Hòa Bình province; Phong Bình and Quảng Lợi towns of Thừa Thiên-Huế province; and Trường Xuân town of Quảng Ninh county, Quảng Bình province. The citizens were very happy and thankful to Master for bringing them love and warmth at this difficult time.

With our prayers for the protection of the gentle Aulacese people, we thank Supreme Master Ching Hai for her attentive support. May such severe weather disruptions soon ease through humanity’s kinder regard for one another and the adoption of gentler lifestyles to heal our ecosphere.

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