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🇹🇼 Taiwan /Disasters & Emergencies

Exhibition honors Hualien flood volunteers

From Liberty Times · () Chinese

Translated from Chinese, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Outcome reported
  • An exhibition opened in Hualien County, Taiwan, to commemorate the volunteer-led recovery efforts after last year's devastating floods.
  • The permanent exhibition at the Hualien Tourism Sugar Factory features tools, photographs, and personal items from the cleanup, which saw volunteers remove an estimated 400,000 tonnes of mud and debris.
  • The exhibition aims to preserve the memory of the disaster response, which followed the overflow of a barrier lake on the Mataian River, killing 19 people and leaving five missing.

An exhibition opened in Hualien County, Taiwan, to honor the "shovel heroes" who led the volunteer cleanup after devastating floods last year. The permanent display at the Hualien Tourism Sugar Factory in Guangfu Township aims to preserve the memory of the massive recovery effort.

The exhibition showcases tools, photographs, and personal items donated by volunteers. These objects tell the story of the disaster response following the overflow of a barrier lake on the Mataian River on Sept. 23 last year. The floodwaters and mud killed 19 people, with five still missing.

the object that felt closest to my love for this place during the disaster

— VolunteerDescribing a cellphone strap donated to the exhibition.

In the weeks after the disaster, over 500,000 volunteer visits were made to help remove an estimated 400,000 tonnes of mud and debris from the township. The organizers collected over 300 shovels, 2,100 photographs and videos, and 97 train tickets used by volunteers traveling to the disaster area.

Curator Kuei Ya-wen said volunteers shared personal messages about their experiences. One message, describing a cellphone strap as "the object that felt closest to my love for this place during the disaster," moved her to tears. Another volunteer, surnamed Shih, said the displays of rain boots and shovels brought back vivid memories of the recovery.

the exhibition’s displays of rain boots, shovels, and photographs brought back vivid memories of the recovery effort

— Volunteer surnamed ShihRecalling participation in the cleanup.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Liberty Times in Chinese. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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