Blankets, rice, groceries, and daily necessities for their warm winter

In the fall of 2019, there was a series of typhoons, which caused a great damage to Gangwon Province and Gyeongsang Province in Korea. The torrential rain poured down, flooding houses, streets, and crops that farmers had raised over a year. To this day, there are marks of the calamity in various places.

In the case of Samcheok in Gangwon Province and Uljin and Yeongdeok in North Geongsang Province, they were stricken by typhoon Mitag and have been designated as primary special disaster areas. However, even two months after the calamity, the victims are still going through hardship in temporary houses and village halls. The damage on senior citizens’ houses, mountain villages where the transportation is inconvenient, and rural areas was devastating and those areas require constant helping hand.

The recovery work was challenging, and even the cold wind was blowing. Intl. WeLoveU Foundation sequentially visited Samcheok City Hall, Uljin County Office, and Yeongdeok County Office to deliver relief goods on Dec. 18—a total of 1,520 blankets, 150 rice sacks, 430 sets of food, and 150 sets of daily necessities—for the victims to spend their winter in warmth.

삼척시 태풍 이재민을 돕기 위한 이불 600채, 식료품 280세트 전달(삼척시청).

In the morning of the day when Intl. WeLoveU visited Samcheok City Hall as the first stop, members from not only Samcheok but also from neighboring areas such as Gangneung and Taebak, gathered together to deliver supplies. Despite the rainy and cold weather, the members delivered the blankets and groceries from a lorry. Kim Yang-ho the Mayor of Samcheok greeted the members, saying, “Thank you so much for coming to help us this early. We will surely deliver these daily necessities and blankets to those who need them. We will do our best to help the victims quickly go back to their everyday life, thanks to your support and encouragement,” in reciprocation.

울진군 태풍 이재민을 돕기 위한 이불 770채 전달(울진군청).

In Uljin, WeLoveU members from Uljin and Pohang delivered cozy microfiber comforters as a relay. Jeon Chan-geol the Governor of Uljin said, “All the items in the flooded houses have become useless. These relief goods will be very useful. You’ve presented a gift of comfort and happiness to all victims who will suffer all the more as the cold winter is coming.” Gwon Tae-in the Vice-Governor, too, said, “All their furnishings have been swept away, so blankets are the very timely gifts. I believe these cozy blankets presented with your sincerity will be of great help and encouragement.”

영덕군 태풍 이재민을 돕기 위한 이불 150채, 쌀 150포, 식료품 150세트, 생필품 150세트 전달(영덕군청).

Yeongdeok, which had been stricken with typhoon over the past two years, had enormous damage; houses were flooded and farmlands and crops were lost. The local residents felt a great sense of loss. Lee Hui-jin the Governor of Yeongdeok said, “Whenever a disaster occurs, it is difficult for a country or a local municipality to handle it all. I’m very thankful that you are helping us a lot. The victims must be feeling a great deal of loneliness as the end of the year is coming. I believe the relief items such as rice and blankets will be an excellent year-end gifts.”

Intl. WeLoveU provided the support through its 20th New Life Concert held at Jamsil Arena in Seoul on Dec. 2. At the concert held in the presence of 8,500 people from all walks of life, including ambassadors from each country, Intl. WeLoveU promised to donate relief goods to typhoon victims and medical and living expenses to 211 multicultural and underprivileged households in Korea. It also plans to provide medical, welfare, and educational support to refugees, victims, and the underprivileged in 18 countries such as Mongolia, India, Bangladesh, Cambodia, and Jordan.

Intl. WeLoveU members wished that the recovery efforts would swiftly be carried out so that the victims would return to their normal lives with their hearts healed.