From September 20 to 22, the members of Gyeongbuk Association of the Church of God helped the restoration work in Namyang-ri, Seo-myeon, Ulleung Island the Typhoon Nabi-damaged area.

ⓒ 2005 WATV

The 14th Typhoon, "Nabi," pounded the islands in East Sea and Yungnam area. Ulleung Island was badly damaged. The island had damaged by typhoons continually for 3 years. When Typhoon Songda came in September last year, rocks and 70,000 tons of soil fell on a road connecting west and north. As the road was blocked with the rocks and soil, the 1,800 residents were isolated for about a week. It was also seriously damaged by Typhoon Maemi in September, 2003.

Before the area which were damaged by the last typhoon was restored, the Typhoon Nabi hit it again this year; the roads were blocked and communication was disconnected. The Gyeongbuk Association of the Church of God heard the news and decided to deliver them comforts and help the victims restore the village. They prepared things indispensable to life worthy of ten million wonsclothes, tableware such as dishes and bowls and spoons, water, cleansers and toothpastes, electric rice-cookers, irons, phones, radios and fans.

ⓒ 2005 WATV

On September 20, the volunteers who were all strong men members arrived in Ulleung Island with comforts. As soon as they heard of the damage news, the Association tried to send the volunteers, but they arrived there a week later due to the changeable weather. They visited the country office first and heard how much it was damaged from Oh Chang-geun the headman of the country office. He supplied transportation, saying, "It is not easy to bring comforts to an island, no matter how close you live. Thank you so much for coming here with these comforts full in a truck."

The volunteers went to Namyang-ri the most seriously damaged area. The damage was more serious than expected. Cars were scattered, being covered with soil, like crumbled sheets of paper. The main rivers of the IslandNamseo River and Namyang Riverwere covered with earth and sand as well. Houses, village hall, public warehouse and squid drying places were all covered with mud. The school was full of earth and sand, too. The fields had lost their shapes.

ⓒ 2005 WATV

The volunteers could easily imagine what happened to the residents when the typhoon hit the village. According to the residents' witness, the situation at that time was terrible. An old man escaped from the swollen river but he failed to keep holding his wife's hand. Another man said that when his wife and he were swept away by the swift current, his wife survived by being caught by the trees and he survived as well by holding a telegraph pole. But he cried, saying, "I wish he would have died at that time. My new squid place that costed 300 million wons was buried." A resident sighed, showing some bowls from his neighbors, and said that he had lost everything including his house and field. The students and teachers lost their school. The volunteers were speechless with their sad stories.

The volunteers gathered in the lodgings on the second floor of the township office. The headman of the township office and the village headman asked them to clean the earth and sand that were in the places where machines could not get in. The volunteers cleaned all the earth and sand filled in the village hall, public warehouse and the squid places. They even cleaned a sewerage which was about 100 meters-it was as big as only one person can get in.

ⓒ 2005 WATV

The volunteers worked hard with a bright smile and the village got cleaned as the earth and sand were cleaned. The residents looked very glad. The officials in the township office were very surprised at the members who did lots of work silently as if it had been their own work. They gave thanks to them, saying, "Even though Ulleung Island was seriously damaged, few volunteers came because it is an island. We thank you very much for coming to this place which is really far and do the work as if it were your own work."
On the third day, they worked even harder. They hurried in the morning because they had to return in the afternoon. They worked without a rest until the appointed time. They couldn't get on the boat until late because the boat came back late due to the weather. They arrived in the land 5 hours after they got on the boat.

After finishing their volunteer work, they said, "The residents in Ulleung Island suffer from typhoon every year. We hope they will be cheered up and live with a hope," "We give thanks to God who allowed us to share love and hope with our neighbors."

ⓒ 2005 WATV

The Ulleung Island residents' village has been restored by the volunteers. However the precious things they lost in the typhoon and hail will never return. Before all peoples of the world including the residents of Ulleung Island lose their precious things in disasters, let us preach the new covenant through which we can be protected by God.