Letter from Dr. Hsin-I Shih of National Cheng Kung University Hospital follows:
Taiwan struck by severe floods and mudslides
I am writing this letter to request for your assistance in our search and rescue efforts for Typhoon Morakot aftermath.The landscape of southern and eastern Taiwan is severely damaged. There were floods and mudslides everywhere, animals drowned; people lost their homes. This has been the worst public crisis in recent memory. At the moment there are still two thousand people stranded in remote mountain areas, in need of rescue. We need helicopters, bulldozers and experienced teams that are capable of mountain search and rescue to evacuate them. In addition to volunteer help, the most practical contribution is money for the long term relief and support.
What we need most in the coming week
- experienced rescue team or persons, with expertise in mountain area search and rescue
- bulldozers
- Forensic scientists for DNA profiling
- ad hoc communication system and/or satellite phones
What we need most in the coming month
- People with disease prevention and control experiences in the aftermath of floods,
- People who knows how to deal with disposal and clean-up of dead animals,
- People who have experiences in crisis counseling,
- People who have experiences in the set up and management of emergency prefab houses and/or relief camp.
We welcome any volunteers, organizations, rescue teams to provide assistance.
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Hsin-I Shih MD MPH
Department of Emergency Medicine
National Cheng Kung University Hospital
E-mail:
Fax: +886-6-2359562
phone number: 886-972401549
