Residents ride an electric tricycle in Gaojiazhuang village, Matou town of Zhuozhou, north China's Hebei province, Aug 3, 2023. (PHOTO / XINHUA)
The Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions (HKFTU) has donated HK$500,000 ($64,040) to schools and dormitories in Hebei province that were flooded after Typhoon Doksuri drenched North China with record-breaking downpours.
In Hebei, the disastrous rainfall forced 1.2 million people to be evacuated as of Wednesday, according to Xinhua News Agency.
In response to the central and local authorities’ disaster relief efforts, HKFTU, the city’s largest labor union, made the donation through its disaster relief and charity fund. The aid will be handed to the Chinese University of Labor Relations to provide timely and appropriate help to schools in the affected areas.
READ MORE: Recent rainfall in China declared 'historically extreme'
On Thursday, HKFTU President Ng Chau-pei, Vice-President Chan Tang-yuen and Vice-Chairman Tsang Chi-man handed over the donation to He Jing, deputy director of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the HKSAR.
In a statement, the union said the flooding in Hebei has pulled at the heartstrings of Hong Kong people, as tens of thousands of people in the Hebei region have been affected, and many schools, dormitories and libraries have been inundated by the floods, trapping students and faculty staff
Doksuri caused widespread flooding after making landfall in Fujian province on July 28 before moving north.
The flooding affected millions, with at least 20 deaths and 20 people missing in Beijing, Tianjin, and Hebei. Beijing earlier this week recorded 744.8 millimeters of rainfall, the most in 140 years.
In a statement, the union said the flooding in Hebei has pulled at the heartstrings of Hong Kong people, as tens of thousands of people in the Hebei region have been affected, and many schools, dormitories and libraries have been inundated by the floods, trapping students and faculty staff.
READ MORE: China's Hebei relocates over 1.2m due to heavy rains
The union is greatly concerned about the disaster, especially in schools, so it took the lead in making an emergency donation for disaster relief.
The union also called on Hong Kong people to chip in and lend a helping hand to those in distress in the typhoon-hit areas on the Chinese mainland.
It has initiated a fundraising campaign to help Hebei, which will run through Aug 18. Details of the union’s Bank of China donation account are posted on its website and Facebook page. Donors are encouraged to leave messages of support, saying “Hebei, add oil” (Hebei, go for it).
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Hong Kong has a long history of providing assistance to mainland regions affected by disasters in the past. In 2021, the Hong Kong Coalition raised HK$6.27 million to support Central China’s Henan province when it suffered rare torrential rains and severe flooding. Many political parties, business circles, and associations in Hong Kong also launched donations to support the affected areas and victims.
