Taipei, Sept. 18 (CNA) The Taiwan chapter of the Christian charity organization World Vision said Friday that its 10 years of experience helping rebuild the lives of survivors of the 921 earthquake have served as great lessons in its relief and reconstruction operations in the wake of Typhoon Morakot, which devastated parts of southern Taiwan last month.

Lessons learned from the earthquake include providing immediate relief and long-term care for children, as well as taking into consideration the necessity of community participation during reconstruction operations and the importance of precautionary measures to reduce the impact of future disasters, World Vision Taiwan said in a press release.

Saying that the road to recovery from the devastating affects of Typhoon Morakot is as lengthy and difficult as it was for the earthquake, World Vision Taiwan said it will apply its experience in working in rural mountainous areas and in quake relief operations to help the Morakot survivors.

Typhoon Morakot, one of the worst natural disasters to hit Taiwan in half a century, devastated some areas in the southern part of the country Aug. 7-9, dumping torrential rain and causing mudslides that wiped out several villages.

The storm claimed more than 600 lives and left over 70 others missing and feared dead, as well as rendering thousands homeless. Agriculture and aquaculture losses reached an estimated NT$16.5 billion (US$500 million).

World Vision Taiwan is planning to invest over NT$1.3 billion (US$40 million) on Morakot-triggered emergency and rehabilitation programs, including rebuilding homes in partnership with typhoon survivors and is encouraging their full participation in the entire process, the press release said.

As part of its commemoration of the 10th anniversary of the 921 earthquake, the 7.3-magnitude temblor of Sept. 21, 1999 that killed over 2,400 people and caused NT$300 billion (US$9.2 billion)-worth of damage, World Vision Taiwan also shared in the press release its experience in quake disaster relief efforts, which includes a 3-year response program.

According to the press release, the first stage of the program was emergency relief from Sept. 22-Oct. 31, 1999, when the relief group provided shelter and distributed food and supplies to the survivors, while the second stage, from Nov. 1, 1999 to July 31, 2001, focused on housing reconstruction and providing spiritual support.

The last stage was from Aug. 1, 2001 to Sept. 30, 2002, when the organization worked on community development, rebuilding public infrastructure and public education about taking precautionary measures against natural disasters, it added.

Noting that its response efforts had special emphasis on the care of child survivors, World Vision Taiwan said it helped 6,500 children by providing them with living and education assistance through a child sponsorship program.

Xiao Chao, who lives in Hsinyi township, Nantou County, was among the many children helped by World Vision Taiwan. He was only 11 years old when the quake struck, completely destroying his home and aggravating his family’s poor economic situation.

Thanks to the charity group, which provided livelihood subsidies, educational aid and longterm sponsorship, Xiao Chao and his brother were able to continue their education, according to the press release.

Today, Xiao Chao is a college student who hopes to pay back the generosity of his supporters by volunteering. In addition to assisting with administration work and camp activities in World Vision’s area office during his summer vacations, he has also volunteered to distribute relief goods in typhoon-affected areas.

“I can easily relate to typhoon survivors and have much empathy for them. I hope that I can do more and continue to help people in need in the future,” Xiao Chao was quoted as saying. (By Rachel Chan)