Only Day 5 of Ondoy disaster and people are still doing rescue ops, volunteering, homeless, and each time I watch the news (most of which I only see on youtube and Filipino channels, thanks to the apathy of big networks like CNN), I still cant help but feel sad for people who have lost all that they have.
So instead of wallowing in nonproductive sadness, we’ve come up with ideas and projects. Here they are so far:
1. Lille was on Kababayan LA18 TV earlier to talk about what happened about with Ondoy and how rescue was facilitated by networking sites like twitter and facebook and how international media channels (CNN for example) did not write about it until 2-3 days after. Will upload lille’s video but www.la18.tv should have the episode up and running by tomorrow for a week or so. Hopefully.
2. Lille talked to her friend Tim who put up www.teecycle.org for our t-shirt donations, 100% of proceeds of which will go to the Philippine Red Cross. http://www.teecycle.org/redcross We did the photoshoot yesterday and they were all up by this morning! Wow! Thank you Tim!
3. Mom is planning to barter shirts from her remaining ANAK NG UP tshirts / merchandise for goods for donation in the Philippines. She and her college friends plan to have them set up at all the Lapid’s Chicharon stores (not the RL ones, the Rolls Royce of Chicharon ones!) so please check that out!
4. My mom, who is a supplier of soap, and other toiletries in Manila, is also donating her goods to charity.
5. Writing to food companies and groceries for donations
6. Writing to bands with Filipino members to release Bside tracks on iTunes and donate proceeds to Typhoon Ondoy victims.
7. Thinking up of a big event/campaign to bring together Filipino communites in LA. Maybe a concert? Incidentally, our friends from RANDOM NINJAs (half of the band are Filipinos) are donating sales of their merchandise from their show this Saturday at the Terrance 443 E. Colorado Blvd Pasadena, CA. See facebook event here
8. Donating to friend’s groups, Mel Laurel-Guba’s Couples for Christ in Torrance, whose group member owns a shipping company.
And other places in LA who are sending relief goods to the Philippines for free:
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To those in LA and San Francisco–Manila
Forwarder will provide free balikbayan box shipment to Philippine National Red Cross, churches, and other government agencies directly responsible with relief operations.
Please drop off the relief goods at: Manila Forwarder Headquarters
4249 Eagle Rock Blvd Los Angeles, CA 90065
1.800.210.1019323.478.1599
Manila Forwarder Northern California
5750 Mission Street, San Francisco, CA 94112
Tel: 510-750-3036Tel: 209-3499576Tel: 415-239-9576
9. Keep emailing friends here in the US and encourage them to donate via the Philippine Red Cross.
10. Write to Pres Obama to send help to the Philippines. One of my Facebook groups KAYA (for OBAMA) came up with this plan, and are encouraging everyone to write for help.
Please write a personal letter to the White House at public@who.eop.gov and the USAID Philippines Desk Officer, Robert W. Hanchett, rhanchett@usaid.gov urging the Administration to:
* maximize USAID contribution, and
* mobilize FEMA to and provide technical assistance and on the ground support.
I think its only right that the President cancels work, classes and govt work to rescue everyone in need! People still need saving
I heard a rumor that flood gates were opened during the typhoon. The currents were incredibly strong that it swept houses, cars on top of the other… A friend who went to UERM said floods have always been the result of rains that strong, but the floods then were nothing like this (with currents etc).
Should the government start investigating on this?
HELP HELP HELP!
US Red Cross has NO direct fund for typhoon victims in Philippines! Give directly to Phil.Natl Red Cross http://bit.ly/Uh7Hb
Don’t keep saying ‘I feel so helpless’, ‘I can’t do anything’. There IS something you can do, whether its prayer, disseminating information about Ondoy and its victims, financial assistance, relief goods, volunteering (if in Manila). There IS something we can all do! Some projects are underway (one with www.teecycle.org), and we are hoping it will be successful. Let me know if you want to help out!
For all you LA based friends, here is that relief drop off information again:
Relief goods accepted in LA! ANSWER ofc, 137 Virgil St, Rm 203, Los Angeles, CA
If you prefer Cerritos or Hermosa Beach/ Carson dropoff, please refer to previous post and look for Moongirl link (or click here).
HELP!!!!!
I’m sure there are plenty of HOW TO HELP sites already up online and possibly even more physically active in volunteer operations (as all of them would be Manila based) but I really want to help out by disseminating some pertinent information.
CHOPPER Truck & BOAT RESCUE TEAM INFO
Petron and San Miguel Corp are lending their choppers for rescue/relief operations. Call/text 0917.814.0655. Ask for Lydia Ragasa.
NCRPO 8383203 8383354 for rubber boat requests
POLITICOS / GOVT NUMBERS
SEND FULL ADDRESS OF THOSE STRANDED to Sen. Dick Gordon 09178997898 or 0938444BOYS / Sen. Villar sending trucks rescue text hotline: 09174226800, 09172414864, 09276751981 / Rubber boat requests 838-3203, 838-3354 / Rescue dumptrucks 0917-422-6800 / Bagyong Ondoy 734-2118, 734-2120 / PAGASA 433-8526 / National Disaster Council 912-5668, 911-1406, 912-2665, 911-5061
DOCTORS/NURSES ETC
Operation Tulong Bayan is in need of volunteer doctors, nurses, and allied medical practitioners for medical missions to commence this Saturday. They also need free medicines. Please contact Jig Abella at 09202030170, Expo Centro, besides Farmers Market, Araneta Center, Cubao, QC. It’s between MRT Cubao Station and P. Tuazon, along EDSA.
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TAHANANG WALANG HAGDAN Cainta
Contact person/s: Rachel Gillego (0918) 924 1636 / Yvette Garcia (0917) 393 4878 — call first, they are holding meeting in Guadalupe viejo Makati
Considered priority goods to be donated: CLOTHES, bottled water, baby milk formula, sardines in foil, bread, meds
FOR LA Residents:
Relief goods accepted in LA! ANSWER ofc, 137 Virgil St, Rm 203, Los Angeles, CA
Pinoys in West Covina:
CA. Sagip-Tulong Collection Day will be on Oct. 3 http://twitpic.com/jveo0
ALAS Cargo takng donations 4 Phil disaster til Sun:
Mira Mesa:11269 Camino Ruiz, 858.536.8808/ 3126 E. Plaza Blvd.,Ste. F 619.470.102
DONT FORGET THE ANIMALS!
Animals in need of aid, PARC is open for them. Visit http://parc.mefindhome.org for location & other info of PAWS for helping from the flood.
Better if you can rescue animals now, and then drop them off at PARC later on. Maybe their owners will come for them later (if theyre not disabled by the floods themselves)
Big shout out to howie severino and his GMA tweets, Sammy Reyes-Johnson from Victory Church, lillebose
This is written by my sister lilledeshan. Because I’m panicking as i write and don’t believe I’ll write as coherently, i am copy pasting most of it, and hopefully she wont mind so much re: plagiarizing.
The Philippine capital Metro Manila recently experienced a devastating
typhoon. Dozens have died, thousands evacuated and/or stranded on their rooftops, whole houses are underwater, and the Philippine government is ill-equipped to deal with the disaser. BBC’s report is here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8276347.stm,
but I don’t think anyone will know how just how much damage there is
until much later.
Imagine this: Katrina dumped over an inch of rainfall in Louisiana for
3 hours and another 0.5 inches per hour over the next 5 hours on
August 29, 2005. Philippine typhoon ‘Ondoy’ dumped an average of 2.24
inches per hour for over six hours.
By the time the rain stopped, more than 16 inches of rain had fallen
over Manila in 12 hours. To put that in context, only 15.39 inches of
rain fell throughout the month of September.
Another note: NYC gets 15-20 inches of rainfall in a whole year. Manila got their full years share in just 10-12 hours!
Many have lost their homes. Many are still stranded in their roofs in
desperate need of food, clothing, and shelter. The typhoon affected
people from all walks of life — rich and poor were stranded and lost
homes — but in the Philippines, the poorest are the most affected.
Please refer to this blog for pictures and video on the flooding so
you can see what has happened for yourself.
http://www.quezon.ph/2009/09/26/how-to-help/
I am writing to you now to appeal to your sense of compassion and
strongly encourage you to donate to the Philippine Red Cross.
I was able to donate using my U.S. credit card through this link:
http://www.redcross.org.ph/Site/PNRC/Default.aspx?S=48&SS=972
I’m terribly frustrated and sad that I can’t do much more to help. The
one thing I can do is spread the word about the disaster;
international news sites haven’t reported much (hours after the event,
I still don’t see any stories on CNN).
There aren’t enough distress signals out there, so if you can forward
this link to people you know who want to help, please do so.
well… cat parenting was a fail. never thought it would happen but i guess our circumstances for our crazy little kitty pico had not been good. Our space is too small, the litterboxes we got were too small, he had no playmate, he woke up early every morning, he liked to jump on beds and couches, i was getting sick all the time, all our relatives and friends are either allergic or cat-haters…
it was just not meant to be, i guess.
but the apartment had never been quieter since he’d gone. it was a stab in the chest that left a dull ache …almost day5 and i still haven’t disinfected the apartment like I promised. I just didn’t have the strength in me to do so.
And I really have to. Picos first 2 weeks was spent inside the apartment and no doubt the cat dander is still in the carpet. We’d let him roam the balcony on his third week, and his fourth week was spent exploring the neighbors balconies. Sometime his fifth week he must’ave fallen off and started exploring the gated garage, which led to his exposure (to our apartment managers). This was the beginning of his wearing a harness.
I’m really not a fan of cats on harnesses (except training them to take walks like dogs, so they dont become obese) but it was for pico’s own protection. He may even go chewing on wires (and do we have plenty!) and electrocute himself! Our apartment is unsafe for him, and he wasnt happy.
I knew I had to let him go.
But why was it so easy for the new owners to let him sleep on their bed? Why couldnt we have done the same for him? Were we really unfit parents? ((((
