DECEMBER 10, 2009 ISSUE
Local Woman Raises Money for Vietnam Storm Relief
On November 2, Typhoon Mirinae came ashore in the province of Phu Yen on Vietnam’s southern central coast. The powerful storm dropped more than 10 inches of rain and caused massive flooding that resulted in more than 100 deaths and caused the destruction of more than 2,400 houses. In addition to the catastrophic damages to the many villages of Southern Vietnam, the storm flooded more than 65,000 hectares of rice, vegetables, corn and sugar cane, leaving many people without food.
In an effort to help the people of Vietnam directly, Nancy Co, owner of The Tokyo Express, located at 100 High Country Square in Banner Elk, is donating 20 percent of the restaurant’s sales from December 5, to disaster relief in Vietnam. The money will go directly to the village where her father and mother live. The money will then be used to buy rice to help feed the people of the village.
“I want to help the people directly,” Co said. “If I send the money directly to the people it will reach them much faster than if we send it to the government. In Vietnam the people live mostly on rice. A bag of rice can support a family for a few weeks.”
Co was in a small fishing village in central Vietnam visiting her family when Typhoon Mirinae hit Vietnam.
“The flooding was very bad,” Co said. “The water came up very quickly and came over the roofs and many of the houses were washed away. The people there lost everything,” she added.
“That’s why when I got back here after the typhoon I sent as much money as I could to help them. This is something we do because, thank God, we have food to eat, we have clothes to wear, because sometimes the people [in Vietnam] who are going through these problems have nothing, so we just do a little bit, but it can really help them,” Co said.
A 50-pound bag of rice costs just $25 in Vietnam and can help feed several families for weeks. By contributing the money raised on Saturday night, Co and her family hope to help other families in need.
“One hand cannot do anything,” Co said. “It takes more hands, because I cannot do it by myself. I need help from the people, they come and eat a meal and in turn it helps feed the people of Vietnam.”
When Hurricane Katrina destroyed much of the Gulf of Mexico, Co and her family wanted to help raise money for the Red Cross. They came up with a plan to take a portion of the proceeds from the restaurant’s sales and donate it toward the relief effort in the Gulf. The Tokyo Express was able to raise $1,700 that they donated to the Red Cross in a monumental effort to help the people who were displaced by Katrina.
This time, however, it is her country that is affected and she feels that the situation is a little different.
“There is not enough time to send the money to the government,” she explained. “The people there are hungry so we must do what we can to get food directly to the people as quickly as possible.”
Tears come to her eyes as she recalls the story of three men who were killed while trying to help others escape from the flood. The men were going house-to-house rescuing people from the roofs of flooded houses when strong winds from the typhoon swept them from the roof and they were killed.
“They died trying to help others,” she said. “Sending money so that they can buy food is the least we can do.”
To learn more about the relief effort or to donate money to the relief fund for Vietnam, call Co at The Tokyo Express at 828-898-4121.
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