Written by Bornain Chiu
Translated by H.B. Qin
Edited by Ariel Tsai
On June 14, 2025, heavy rains triggered sudden flooding in the north of West Virginia, leading to the tragic deaths of at least nine people, including a three-year-old child. In the early morning of June 28, volunteers of the Tzu Chi USA Columbus Service Center traveled to Ohio County, West Virginia, to assess the disaster-stricken area. They teamed up with the Red Cross and local residents to enter the disaster-affected areas, listen to stories, and show their care.
Reunion after the Disaster
That morning, Tzu Chi volunteers Bornain Chiu and Teh-Hong Lee, along with Columbus Service Center Director Chiachi Chen, left Columbus at 6:30 A.M. They arrived at the Red Cross Ohio River Valley Chapter after a two-and-a-half-hour drive and chatted with Executive Director Sharon Kesselring.
Sharon, who has participated in disaster relief efforts many times, is no stranger to Tzu Chi. During their conversation, Sharon mentioned that she had participated in Tzu Chi’s relief efforts during the 2016 West Virginia flood. Unfortunately, she arrived late that day and missed the distribution and many important moments. The connection has been renewed now that the flood has happened.
During the meeting, volunteers mentioned the Tzu Chi USA Midwest Region’s recent tornado relief efforts in London, Kentucky, which Sharon found inspiring. She sincerely thanked Tzu Chi for coming to assist and remarked, “Kentucky has just been hit every two weeks. They get hit again and again. It’s crazy there. It’s almost like we’ve set up a permanent disaster relief operation.”
Ruthlessness of Flood and Warmth of Community
After the meeting, the volunteers conducted a field assessment guided by Sharon Kesselring. The first stop was an old house, whose exterior walls bore clear water marks, marking the sudden onset of the flood that night. According to the homeowner’s brother, his sister, who is physically disabled, was alone at home on the night of the flood. She attempted to contact him for assistance, but he was unable to reach her in a timely manner due to the traffic congestion. Thankfully, she was successfully rescued with the assistance of her neighbors. This house is an estate left by their grandfather, now inhabited by the disabled sister. After the flood, both the interior and exterior of the house were severely damaged, making reconstruction efforts extremely challenging.
It was a very forceful bout of water. It had already traveled about seven miles between here and Dallas Pike, and maybe ten miles of force was behind it by the time it hit here.
Subsequently, volunteers advanced into the most severely impacted regions. The flood damaged the iron doors of storage rooms along the roadside. Debris and collapsed houses remained untouched outside the windows, serving as a stark reminder of the devastation. Everything they saw and heard highlighted the extensive and arduous nature of the recovery process.
As the volunteers passed by the local fire department, Sharon introduced the Tzu Chi volunteers to some firefighters and explained the purpose of their visit. During their conversation, they learned that the fire department lost one fire truck, one ambulance, and one emergency management agency (EMA) vehicle to the flood. The neighboring Brooke County donated an ambulance to support them, and the state of Pennsylvania provided a fire truck for local use.
These assistance efforts from neighboring counties and states allowed the volunteers to witness the devastation caused by the disaster while also feeling the warm current of care flowing through society.
Rebuilding Residents' Hope
The National Guard was also present during the assistance efforts in the severely affected areas. One National Guard member described the disaster situation, saying, “We have assisted in clearing approximately 300 truckloads of debris. This area is the most severely affected. Some of the houses have been demolished. I don’t know how you plan to contact some of the individuals.”
In response, Sharon added, “They still have addresses, and our technology allows us to connect addresses with cell phone numbers. We’re still able to reach out to them if they haven’t, so we’ll be able to connect with them if they haven’t already.”
What the volunteers saw and learned along the way deeply impressed the volunteers with the challenges of post-disaster reconstruction, further solidifying Tzu Chi’s resolve to participate in future aid efforts. For the volunteers, every house in urgent need of reconstruction and every disaster survivor who is difficult to get in contact with represents a direction for Tzu Chi to explore in the future. Even if the journey is long and the challenges are numerous, as long as there is a glimmer of hope, it is worth nurturing the possibility of rebirth through action.
Conveying Hope and Blessings
The volunteers then visited the disaster relief service station established by the Red Cross. Although no disaster survivors were seen applying for services on-site, staff shared: “Disaster survivors often feel emotionally overwhelmed and anxious when applying for assistance, but after we patiently listen and accompany them, they are able to complete the process with a calmer mindset and leave with peace of mind.”
Just as they were to leave, a disaster survivor entered the service station and expressed a strong interest in Tzu Chi. The volunteers enthusiastically explained that “Tzu Chi in English stands for Compassion and Relief,” and encouraged him to learn more online. With nods and smiles, they took a group photo and bid farewell, marking a warm conclusion to this exchange across languages and cultures.
Before the disaster assessment was concluded, the volunteers returned to the Red Cross office to discuss future collaboration with Sharon. They gave her a Tzu Chi eco-friendly blanket as a gift and explained that “These blankets are made from recycled materials, symbolizing Tzu Chi’s commitment to environmental protection and care, and are specially prepared as tokens of goodwill for disaster-affected residents.”
The disaster assessment mission of the Tzu Chi Columbus Service Center was successfully concluded with handshakes and blessings. This disaster assessment journey highlighted the stark contrasts between nature’s severity and humanity’s compassion, providing a solid foundation for future disaster relief efforts.
