Ordinary people help out in flood-stricken Guangfu
Ordinary people help out in flood-stricken Guangfu
2025-09-29
As Hualien continues to recover from devastating floods, stories of quiet heroism are emerging from across Taiwan. Ordinary people are stepping up in extraordinary ways. There’s a tow truck driver clearing roads at night, a coffee shop owner who closed his business to cook thousands of meals and many other unsung heroes.
The crane arm is raised and lowered onto a car caked in mud that can no longer move.
It’s hoisted onto the truck, all by one skilful operator from Jiji, Nantou, dubbed “Tow Truck Superman.”
Tow Truck Superman
Helping with cleanup
In the Jiji Earthquake, lots of people came to help. The TV said they needed tow trucks, so I cleared my schedule and came. I moved about 10 cars these three days. There’s lots of machinery and volunteers, which makes it hard to get in during the day. So I work at night. We first target more urgent cases where the cars are blocking the cleanup or the road. If it’s not in the way, I tell the owners I’ll get back to them later.
Having received much help in the 1999 Jiji Earthquake, he now wants to help out in Hualien, even at the cost of losing job assignments. The situation in Guangfu is rough, and he’s already had to deal with a flat tire.
Tow Truck Superman
Helping with cleanup
There’s a lot of stuff on the road. I must have run over something and ruptured the tire. Luckily, a kind soul gave me a spare tire. So I didn’t have to patch it up. It was just the right size.
Another person who set aside their work to help in the disaster area is the owner of a coffee shop in Kaohsiung. He took the earliest train to Hualien and formed a rescue team with customers.
Lin Yan-yu
Coffee shop boss
The flooding reached above the first floor of many homes in the disaster area, and the sediment in some places is 1.5m deep. We’re all Taiwanese. We’re all one family. We should all use some of our time, energy and strength to help out.
The coffee shop boss completed his studies in the East Coast and started a business in Kaohsiung after graduating. Seeing the devastation in Hualien, he put on his rain boots to clear mud from people’s homes. He also used his catering skills to help a team of 300 people prepare more than 10,000 lunch boxes.
Lin Yan-yu
Coffee shop boss
You can always earn money later. But there’s nothing you can do but spend time to improve the situation. The mud is beginning to harden, so it’s critical that young people and people in general come help out at the disaster site.
Though his coffee shop typically fills with crowds during long weekends, Lin says disaster relief is more important than potentially earning NT$80,000. He hopes that by doing his little bit, he can help people rebuild their homes soon.
For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Mon to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
Tue to Sat at 1 am on Channel 53
#hualien #guangfu #flooding #disaster #volunteer #helping
咖啡廳老闆、拖吊車業者放下手邊工作 前進花蓮光復協助災民
2025-09-29
這幾天不少人遠赴花蓮當起"鏟子超人"，用雙手協助救災，高雄有咖啡廳老闆，選擇在連假期間不做生意，搭乘火車前往花蓮救災，還加入義煮團。還有一名家住南投集集的拖吊車業者，知道花蓮有需求立刻推掉工作，到現場協助拖吊故障車輛，三天下來已拖至少10輛車，他提到921時曾受大家幫助，現在也想回饋。
吊臂緩緩升起，再垂降到已經無法行駛，滿是淤泥的車輛。
將車子吊到車斗，一個人獨自作業，動作相當熟練，他是來自南投集集的"拖吊超人"。
[[善心拖吊業者]]
“以前我們921地震的時候，很多人去幫我們。電視上說有缺拖吊車，我就想說工作上都把它辭掉，不要接工作，就直接來這裡。(三天)大約10台左右。災區工程車、志工很多，早上都很難進來，我都利用晚上。比較緊急的，會擋到清淤，或是擋到路線的我們要先處理，我去觀察看了之後不會擋道的，我就會跟他安撫說晚一點，晚上再來。”
921時曾受不少幫助，現在花蓮有難，推掉工作也要來幫忙，但災區環境惡劣，過程中也發生過破胎的插曲。
[[善心拖吊業者]]
“旁邊都有很多雜物，(輪胎)就壓到了就爆胎了，還好有遇到好心人，他有輪子給我換，也沒有補胎，剛好一樣的輪子。”
放下手邊工作前往災區幫忙的，還有高雄一間咖啡廳老闆，搭乘最早一班火車到花蓮，和客人組成救災小組。
[[咖啡廳老闆 林彥宇]]
“很多居民在這個災情中，很多家園是被水淹超過一樓高，裡面的淤積是超過一米五以上。我們是台灣人，我們都自己人，大家應該去花這個時間，或者說有這個心力、體能可以去協助大家。”
咖啡廳老闆林彥宇，在東部念書，畢業後來到高雄創業，這回看到花蓮有難，林彥宇二話不說換上雨靴，不僅到民宅裡，幫忙清出淤泥，更發揮餐飲所長，加入近300人的義煮團，幫忙煮菜，做出上萬份便當。
[[咖啡廳老闆 林彥宇]]
“錢可以再賺，可是大家的居住環境是沒辦法藉由時間去換算回來的。很多土壤已經開始硬化了，更需要我們這些年輕人、人們，到有受災的地方去協助救災。”
以往連假都會有大批用餐人潮，林彥宇卻選擇關門去救災，用以往連假的營業額推算，至少損失近8萬元。店家發揮自身小小的有愛力量，為花蓮救災盡一份心力，也期盼家園能早日重建。
更多新聞內容，請鎖定：
民視台灣台（152頻道）週一至週五晚上9:30
民視新聞台（53頻道）週二至週六凌晨1:00
Related News
