Saluting solo supermen: Social media hails unsung heroes of Hualien

Taipei, Sept. 29 (CNA) When the Matai'an Creek barrier lake in Hualien County overflowed on Sept. 23, it unleashed massive floods in the county's Guangfu Township that left devastation in their wake.

At least 18 people were killed by the floodwaters, and huge mounds of mud and debris were scattered across the area.

As government agencies struggled to deploy enough people to help residents and clean up affected areas, individuals sacrificed their Teachers' Day weekend to support the township and fill in the gaps.

Local media and netizens have since celebrated these selfless volunteers and sorted them into different categories of "supermen" based on their contributions.

The most popular group is the "shovel supermen," who went to help clear the area armed with nothing more than their own rainboots and shovels.

Another of the more popular supermen have been the "cooking supermen" who have prepared meals around the devastated areas for both victims and volunteers.

A smaller group of individuals has attempted to do what they can for the volunteers and communities by performing support tasks that matched their skills.

The efforts of a few of these volunteers have especially captured the attention of netizens and also the media, garnering them special "supermen" titles, as follows.

Glutinous rice dumplings supergrandma

Dressed in bright red and a conical hat, an elderly woman was seen hanging out free glutinous rice dumplings outside Guangfu Train Station over the long weekend.

A person of very few words, the elderly woman gave away the dumplings she made personally to volunteers and victims alike.

Those who tried her dumplings said over the internet that her food was not only heartwarming but also truly delicious.

Boot-washing superwoman

As a display of mutual admiration, a woman stationed herself around the premises of the Guangfu Train Station with nothing more than a stool and a brush. She was seen hailing shovel supermen over to scrub their boots before they boarded the train on their journey home.

She would cheerfully engage in small talk with her fellow volunteers, at times joking that she just wanted to go to Guangfu to play with mud as she scrubbed the boots of others clean.

Superchefs

An advanced version of the cooking supermen, a group of Hualien cooks from other communities, volunteered to set up camp at Guangfu to cook for volunteers and victims.

They were seen chopping and prepping vegetables nonstop, all the while encouraging each other to take breaks while they themselves slaved away.

Bobcat superloaders

A number of owners and operators of Bobcat brand loaders traveled around the Guangfu area digging away mud and debris.

In some videos circulating on the internet, residents who received the assistance of such drivers tried to give them money, only to have the operators decline the offers, going so far as to joke that all cleared mud would be returned to any victim's home should money be given.

Off-road superdrivers

Among the biggest challenges of the natural disaster was getting medication and equipment into Guangfu Township.

Because the area was crowded with vehicles and people, items like gauze and sutures could not be transported to medical tents in time.

According to a Hualien Tzu Chi Hospital medical professional, a medical volunteer sought out the help of off-road vehicle drivers over the weekend when items to give a patient stitches were needed.

Surprisingly, after asking just one dirt bike driver, other off-road vehicle drivers then banded together to help transport medical equipment and items to medical tents around the affected area using their rides.

Super songwriter

On Friday, a music video called "Supermen in Rainboots" (穿雨鞋的超人) was uploaded onto the YouTube of "DaAi Channel Malaysia."

Written by Malaysian news reporter and songwriter Ang Wui Chong (洪維聰), the song celebrates the Guangfu Township volunteers.

Speaking with CNA on Monday, Ang said he was moved to write the song after seeing the shovel supermen highlighted on the internet.

Ang said his hometown of Kelantan was devastated by flooding before, which was why he could relate to the impact of the Hualien flood, and that if he were in Taiwan he would be volunteering as well.

Writing a song was the least he could do to help the community, he said.