By Tzu Chi documenting volunteers
Translated by Wu Hsiao-ting
The strong earthquake that hit Hualien, Taiwan, on April 3 damaged many buildings, creating a high demand for professional repairmen. Tzu Chi expert volunteers stepped in to help.
Volunteers repair the cracked wall of an old house in Fenglin Township after Taiwan’s April 3 Hualien earthquake. Chen He Jiao
“I doubt anyone in Hualien got much sleep last night,” remarked Ms. Ye, a resident of Sheng’an Village, Ji’an Township, as she conversed with the Tzu Chi volunteers visiting her home for a repair project.
There were over 1,300 aftershocks within a month after a magnitude-7.2 earthquake rocked Taiwan’s eastern Hualien on April 3. Their frequency increased on the evening of April 22, and early the next morning, two earthquakes with magnitudes over 6 occurred within just six minutes of each other. To be on the safe side, the Hualien County Government declared a day off from work and school on April 23. Such frequent aftershocks deepened the empathy of Tzu Chi volunteers from other regions of Taiwan towards the local residents. They also helped the volunteers better understand the urgency felt by those whose homes were damaged to repair them.
The Tzu Chi volunteers speaking with Ms. Ye had inspected her home the day before to assess the damage. When they arrived at Ms. Ye’s home on their first day of repairs, they came with the materials and tools they had purchased after their assessment and immediately began to repair the tiled floor on the building’s third level. Since identical tiles for the floor had been unavailable, the volunteers carefully removed and re-laid the tiles that had been dislocated but not damaged. Their meticulous work required more time and effort, but it helped preserve the aesthetics, so the volunteers didn’t mind the extra effort.
The team continued the next day to fix the bathroom wall tiles and the raised floor tiles in a fourth-floor room. Just when they thought they were done, they discovered more damaged tiles in a large area on the balcony outside. Ms. Ye was as surprised as the volunteers. “Ah, we didn’t even know [of that damaged area],” she exclaimed. Volunteers set to work again. Not even the heavy rain that day could stop them. They used tarpaulins to set up a temporary rain cover and smoothed the ground on the balcony with concrete.
Finally, after two days of drilling, hammering, grinding, and other work, the repairs were complete. Laughter and conversations filled the first-floor living room as Hualien Tzu Chi volunteers Zeng Jin-cai (曾金財) and Wu Yu-he (吳玉鶴), who are husband and wife, brought drinks for everyone.
Ms. Ye recalled the two weeks following the earthquake when she couldn’t find workers to repair her house. She was quite concerned—until a large group of Tzu Chi volunteers arrived at her home one day. “Over a dozen people filled our living room,” she said, visibly moved. She felt nothing but immense gratitude with her house now repaired. Picking up a Tzu Chi coin bank given her by a volunteer, she exclaimed to her husband: “We must start saving money in this coin bank to contribute our love and help the needy!”
The walls of some homes were cracked by the earthquake, with some cracks wide enough to insert a hand. Chen Ya-ping
Experts coming to aid
The earthquake on April 3 resulted in varying degrees of damage to many buildings in Hualien. Some were so severely affected they posed a danger to inhabitants. Hundreds of buildings suffered milder damage, such as cracked walls, peeled tiles, and collapsed brick fences. The widespread nature of the damage resulted in a shortage of local workers to handle the numerous homes needing repairs.
In response, the Tzu Chi Foundation coordinated with the Hualien County Government to repair lightly damaged homes in Ji’an, Xincheng, and Xiulin Townships. Inspections were conducted on 321 residences in this category. The homeowners themselves reserved the final decision whether to manage the repairs on their own or accept assistance. In the end, 168 houses were repaired by Tzu Chi volunteers. The foundation also signed a cooperation agreement with the county government regarding resettlement plans for people whose homes were more severely damaged.
Tzu Chi volunteers, many of whom were skilled in masonry, metalworking, or electrical systems, converged in Hualien from various regions of Taiwan for the repair effort. Non-expert volunteers handled administrative tasks or served as on-site assistants. Repair priority was given to vulnerable individuals and elderly people living alone. Persons or families requiring further assistance were reported to Tzu Chi for assessment and help.
The repair teams conducted their initial home visits accompanied by local volunteers and village leaders. Wen Wen-bin (溫文彬), a village officer from Sheng’an Village in Ji’an Township, expressed gratitude for Tzu Chi’s timely assistance, noting that many craftsmen were reluctant to spend time on minor fixes. During these initial visits, volunteers checked the condition of homes requiring attention, discussed restoration plans with homeowners, determined the materials needed—such as tiles, cement, and silicone sealant—and scheduled the repair work.
Ms. Li from Beichang Village, Ji’an Township, was one of those requesting help for repairs to her home. The earthquake had damaged the walls of her garage, a staircase wall inside her home, and some terrazzo steps. Tzu Chi volunteers conducted the initial inspection of her home on the morning of April 24. They discovered additional damage, including on the garage floor and front pillars. With Ms. Li’s consent, they began preparing materials and started the repairs that very afternoon.
Ms. Li was impressed by the volunteers’ mindfulness and efficiency. “Hualien was severely affected by the quake, with many places in need of repairs,” she said. “It was just impossible to find repairmen. I’m so grateful to Tzu Chi for their quick response.”
A volunteer removes damaged tiles with an electric drill to prepare for the installation of new ones. Ye Jin-hong
Safer homes, comforted hearts
Sheng’an Village chief Chen Yi-hua (陳羿華) accompanied volunteers on their visits to earthquake-affected households. He remarked that Tzu Chi’s pre-repair inspections and care brought much-needed warmth to the affected families. Just knowing that help was on the way soothed the residents, all the more so given the widespread need for repairs and the difficulty in finding workers.
Cai Ming-hong (蔡明鴻) is a volunteer from Taipei, northern Taiwan. He observed that while most houses did not sustain severe damage, interactions with the quake victims during his home inspection visits revealed their anxiety. “We hope to calm their hearts through our repairs,” he said.
On the afternoon of April 24, ten volunteers from southern and northern Taiwan arrived in Ji’an Township to repair Grandma Li’s house. Her 40-year-old home had suffered cracks, and some door frames looked deformed.
Lin Shi-jie (林世傑), one of the ten volunteers, is a skilled mason. After the earthquake, he immediately expressed his willingness to help repair damaged homes, even offering to drop everything to assist if needed. He had been in Hualien for two days now, during which time frequent aftershocks had kept everyone on edge, further fueling his sympathy towards the residents.
“We must be thorough and not just address surface issues,” Lin emphasized. He explained while at Grandma Li’s home that if the rebar inside a wall or column corroded and developed rust, it could cause the concrete to break. Thus, damaged columns or walls had to be opened to check the condition of the rebar and remove rust if needed. “When we came to Grandma Li’s home to inspect the damage yesterday, she felt embarrassed about troubling us for such minor work as patching small cracks. But we turned a small crack into a big hole when we started working [so that we could check the inside],” he said, causing everyone to laugh. He added, “We need to work very diligently. We must not fail the trust placed in us. Master Cheng Yen said we must repair the quake-damaged homes as if they were our own.”
While the volunteers were busy with their work, Grandma Li disappeared for a while. She returned with homegrown papayas and oranges for everyone. Some cement and sand needed for the repairs had not arrived yet, so everyone took a break in the living room, chatting with Grandma Li. It also happened to be Lin’s 57th birthday that day. Grandma Li wished him well, saying, “Bless you!” Lin responded, “Wishing you health and longevity.”
After the short rest, the volunteers continued with their work. Later, after the repairs had been completed, the team bid her farewell. As their vehicles slowly left her house by the mountainside, the thought of her plates of papayas and oranges warmed everyone’s hearts.
Volunteers install new floor tiles, replacing the cracked ones. Zhao Zi-xiong
Volunteers repair a wall by first removing damaged surfaces, then adding wire mesh, applying concrete, and finishing with a coat of white paint. Chen He Jiao
Age is not a problem
Particularly notable among the repair teams was a group of seasoned volunteers who had been involved in Tzu Chi’s construction and home repair work since the 9/21 earthquake in central Taiwan in 1999, assisting those in need in Taiwan.
This group, hailing from Changhua, central Taiwan, undertook a nine-hour journey to Hualien, with members taking turns behind the wheel. The team consisted of four construction professionals and a sole assistant, Chen Chun-lai (陳春來). Despite his small stature, Chen adeptly supported the team, handing over tiles and concrete as needed, cleaning a cement mixer, and bagging waste. His tasks were numerous and diverse, yet he handled them methodically and with impressive ease.
Also serving in Hualien was 75-year-old Chen Ying-cheng (陳瑩成), from Taichung, central Taiwan. One of his tasks was repairing severely cracked tiles in the kitchen and bathroom of an elderly woman living alone. He stooped over the damaged area while working, his clothes drenched in sweat, seemingly unaware of the physical strain. Despite the demands, he found deep satisfaction in his repair work. “Our efforts are worthwhile as long as we can make the homeowner feel at ease,” he remarked. Though he had 50 years of masonry experience under his belt, he said he was still learning, explaining that each damaged home presented different challenges, each requiring meticulous attention.
Huang Shang-mei (黃尚美) took time off work to volunteer with Tzu Chi’s repair efforts in Hualien. She assisted Chen Ying-cheng, using a sponge dipped in water to clean the elderly woman’s bathroom after Chen finished his work there. She was deeply moved to see how the septuagenarian kept the bathroom door tightly shut while he removed the damaged tiles and installed new ones, doing his best to keep the dust contained and avoid dirtying the rest of the house.
“We are always ready to pitch in when it comes to doing good deeds!” exclaimed a group of volunteers from Yilan, northeastern Taiwan, all of them old enough to qualify for senior tickets. One of the homes they helped repair belonged to Ms. Xie. Working together, they used drills to bore through the bricks of a collapsed fence, then formed a line to pass the pieces of rubble from the premises for disposal. Seeing how the older people were restoring her home, Ms. Xie, who was bustling around helping however she could, remarked, “I can never say I’m tired seeing the dedication of these seniors!”
“I may be too old for paid work, but I can still be of service,” said 78-year-old Zeng Qiu-liang (曾秋涼), a mason for 60 years from New Taipei City, northern Taiwan. “Our repair effort in Hualien needed assistance, so here I am.” Though nearing 80, his steps remained steady and he could effortlessly carry a wooden board larger than his body. Another volunteer, Huang Qing-yang (黃清淓), is a carpenter. More than a year before, in 2022, he participated in Tzu Chi’s home repair endeavor following an earthquake in eastern Taiwan and was deeply moved by the gratitude shown by residents benefiting from Tzu Chi’s help. Though masonry wasn’t his specialty, he felt compelled to lend a hand this time too.
In a narrow alley where a wheelbarrow can’t easily pass, volunteers form a line to pass pieces of rubble from a collapsed wall for disposal. Huang Xue-fang
Pervasive kindness
Tzu Chi volunteers in Hualien initially focused on emergency relief and distribution efforts after the earthquake, but soon transitioned into the recovery and rebuilding phase. Volunteer Xie Fu-yu (謝富裕), with tears in his eyes, expressed his gratitude to his fellow volunteers from all over Taiwan, saying: “I’m very grateful to every one of you who came from all over Taiwan to support us in Hualien. It’s really comforting.”
Liu Qiu-ling (劉秋伶), head of the Disaster Reduction and Prevention Section of the Tzu Chi Department of Charity Mission Development, helped record the numbers of repairs awaiting, those completed, and households not yet contacted on a daily basis. She also managed contacts and arranged work shifts. In the process, she witnessed hundreds of volunteers arriving in Hualien with their bags, some driving trucks loaded with tools and equipment. They joined forces with local volunteers for home visits, assessments, and repairs. She lauded the volunteers’ efforts, noting that they greatly alleviated the local labor shortage, enabling the swift repair of damaged homes.
Behind the scenes were additional volunteers, nuns at the Jing Si Abode, and foundation employees, who prepared snacks and meals for the repair teams, entered the data of affected households into computers, or handled other work. Some employees worked past midnight to manage the workload during this period. Even medical professionals from Hualien Tzu Chi Hospital aided by assisting with data entry during their lunch breaks.
The powerful earthquake unveiled nature’s might, but also revealed kindness and warmth everywhere. It’s life-affirming to see goodness and love converge in Hualien after the temblor, flowing through the streets and alleys.
