Xangsane typhoon

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Xangsane Typhoon 2006

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	Xangsane Typhoon 2006


	Houses have been destroyed after Xangsane typhoon


	“Eyes of Compassion” are helping to reconstruct houses for Xangsane victims


	Toronto October 24th, 2006 Dear Benefactors, After the days of rain and typhoon winds in Central Vietnam , the warm sunny weather has come back. We could not help but be moved by the devastation suffered by people in the areas on the path of the typhoon. Wherever typhoon Xangsane passed, devastation followed, and houses made of solid brick and cement were flattened within minutes. The landscape is very similar to that of the destruction left by the war over 30 years ago. People living here will probably have to wait a long time before they can return to a quiet, normal life. Central Vietnam is now entering its rainy season. The homeless do not have anything to protect them from the elements, and that is a great suffering already. The lack of clothing and blankets in the winter makes it even worse. The government has turned its attention to those areas which have been hit hard by the weather, although the aid to the victims of the hurricane is not as sizeable as in earlier years, because of the scandal about aid money being pocketed by corrupt officials during the 2002 Huong Son floods. In spite of all this, the government has still focused on the areas most affected by the weather. As to Buddhists from North to South, monks and nuns, lay followers of the Buddha, Buddhist organizations from far and wide have sent volunteers to the areas affected to offer moral and financial support to the typhoon victims. Many associations from other faiths have also sent money, clothing, blankets, medicine and other needed articles to the victims and they have offered their moral support also.


		Destruction after Xangsane typhoon in Hue and Danang city

As you are aware, a typhoon leaves havoc and devastation behind it. Affected areas in Danang City have been helped by the government and charitable associations, and some areas have been visited and helped up to 90 times, according to Mr. Dam huu Dac,Vice Minister of Labor. On the other hand, people in some areas in the countryside such as Quang Tri, Thanh Hoa, and Ha Tinh provinces, have not been visited and helped by any association. This may be due to the fact that some areas are difficult to reach after the typhoon has hit them. The fact that these victims of the typhoon have not received any moral or financial support has made us, at Eyes of Compassion, think hard and fast to come up with a way to visit those areas. The value of our gifts would be higher and more appreciated there. We only want the victims to realize that no matter how far removed from cities they may be, they are still in our thoughts and our hearts, and there are many of us thinking about them. Moreover, their poverty is extreme in these areas, and to earn a living is a difficult task for them in normal times of good weather. The typhoon adds even more hardship to their lives with its destruction.

Typhoon Xangsane did not just destroy the center of Danang city; it spread to a large area which includes the city of Vinh . Floods and high winds everywhere peeled roofs off houses, and destroyed or bent houses, with the result that many families in the areas affected by the typhoon face homelessness and no protection against the elements with winter coming soon.




			Water covered all places (Nghe An, Hà Tĩnh)




	The population of Nghe-An province assembled on the dams, living under tents with their farm animals during the heavy rains and floods caused by typhoon Xangsane. They had to live that way for ten days with the help of their neighbors.


	All of you benefactors have responded wholeheartedly to the cries for help, and you have directly or indirectly helped the victims of typhoon Xangsane through many different organizations. We hereby acknowledge your generosity and we take the liberty to our benefactors who have made donations through Eyes of Compassion


	I- EMERGENCY PHASE – TIMELY AID TO VICTIMS Funds transferred to Sister Nhu Minh, Tay Linh pagoda: VND 5,000,000 ( US$ 2500 + C$2,500). This amount was used together with other amounts received from other sources to help victims immediately after the typhoon had subsided. Sister Nhu Minh together with other Buddhist nuns have provided relief to areas most affected by the typhoon, i.e. DaNang City ( Hoa Minh, Hoa HiepNam, Hoa Hiep Bac) and Hue City (Phu Loc , Nam Đông, Quãng Đien, Phong Đien, Huong Trà, Huong Thuy). II. RECONSTRUCTION PHASE: HOUSE REPAIR; DISTRIBUTION OF RICE, BLANKETS & MOSQUITO NETS A. Transfered to Tue Quang group of Buddhist lay-practitioners C$1000. In Hoa Tien and Hoa Vang villages in Danang, we distributed gifts to 24 families that had not received any relief at all. The Tue Quang group consists of Buddhist laymen and women who practice Buddhism while performing charity work. As they have a large area of operation in the city of Hue and its surrounding areas, they took on the responsibility for the reconstruction of houses in Hue . These houses needed to be repaired before the arrival of winter. EOC will transfer an additional US$1,000 and C$2,200 to the Tue-Quang group to be used in this reconstruction B. Transfer to Sister Nhu Minh additional sums of C$1,000 and US$500. C. Transfer to Mr. Lê Văn Diêu, head of charity committee, Quang Tri province US$ 2500, to help repair 10 houses and to distribute blankets and mosquito nets. List of persons needing help (source: Charity committee, Quang Tri province ): 1. Nguyen Văn Minh, 32, Thuan An, Đong Phú, Quang Nam 2. Nguyen Thi Hoa 37, Trieu An, Đong Phú, Quang Nam 3. Ho Phúc, Trung An, Hai Khe, Hai Lăng 4. Lê Thi Uyên, 40, Trà Liên, Trieu Giang, Trieu Phong 5. Nguyen Thi Đat, 76, QuangTri city 6. Lê Thi Quang 79, QuangTri city 7. Hoàng Xuân Huu, Hà Thuong, Gio Linh 8. Phan Thi Miên, Thuong Xa hamlet, Hai Lăng district 9. Lê Thi Phi, Luong Diên hamlet, Hai Son village, Hai Lăng district D. Transfer to Mr. Phan Đăng Hoè US$ 3,000, for house repairs and distribution of blankets and mosquito nets to 15 families who suffered heavy damage to their houses in Thanh Hoa and Nghe An provinces. The group of skilled workers working in Phousavan Say will come to these provinces to help implement this program. To all our benefactors, volunteers and friends: Below, EOC is sending to you via our website a thank you note, a report of aid activities and a few photographs showing relief activities of Sister Nhu Minh after typhoon Xangsane. We hope that this website will become a link for EOCand/Sister Nhu Minh to convey our thanks to all of our benefactors with hearts of gold who have helped Sister Nhu Minh implementing the recent relief programs. EOC also takes this opportunity to express our best wishes for health and internal peace to all the venerable monks and nuns and all our friends and volunteers who have helped us.

		Food distribution for Xangsane typhoon victims