The Onslaught of Typhoon Yolanda III

My two previous blog posts were about Typhoon Yolanda (international code Haiyan) and the destruction it left behind in the Visayas and Mindanao regions here in the Philippines. More importantly they were also a collation of ways to help victims in need of donations. (Part I may be accessed here; part II may be accessed here)

Today's post is no different. Below are some helpful links and announcements for those who wish to donate and volunteer for relief and repacking operations.

List of Survivors

First and foremost though, I's like to share this list from sunstar.com.ph ; it's a database of the names of Typhoon Yolanda survivors in Tacloban City, Leyte, one of the most affected areas. The list was posted yesterday, but is still being updated whenever they get new names of survivors in their database. For those with family or friends in Tacloban, this is a very helpful list.

How to Help

This comprehensive list compiled by CNN is very informative. It's neatly divided into emergency support, food and water, shelter, medical assistance and helping children.

Another announcement from the University of the Philippines Office of the Student Regent, from the UP System Twitter page details what donations are most in need in their repacking endeavors. The Family Pack contains:

• 3 kilograms of rice
• 6 canned goods
• 5 liters of water
• 6 sachets of powdered beverage
• 6 packs of instant noodles
• 6 pieces of merienda (biscuits, crackers, wafers, etc.)
• 2 of each of the following toiletries: soap, toothpaste, shampoo, napkin, etc.
• A first aid kit or other medical supplies available
• Garments for 5 people
• And an optional inclusion of the following: tarpaulin, blankets, oral care and foot wear.

Please click the image to enlarge.

A poster detailing the Family pack as well as designated drop-off points in the UP System in the Diliman, Manila, Los Baños, Baguio, Visayas-Miag-ao and Visayas-Iloilo campuses.

From: the UP system Twitter page

The Ateneo de Manila University's Simbahang Lingkod ng Bayan (a non-partisan, church-based organization) just recently announced its launching of Task Force Bangon Pilipinas (TF). They are looking for monetary donations and human assistance. Donors may deposit in cash or in cheque at the Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) Loyola-Katipunan Branch. Interested volunteers may contact Ms. Bernie V. Aton through her cellphone number 0932-8798-752 or through her email address bernieaton@gmail.com

Additional information may be seen in the original Facebook post here.

Postscript

Today, I not only came about these posts and announcements, but I also read through a lot of accounts of the situation in Tacloban. A mother lost her daughter. A father carried his child to the morgue. Two brothers were orphaned. The list just goes on. They are living through a very challenging point in their life.

The storm surges caused by Yolanda swept through many coastal areas, leaving death in their wake. But as relentless as the waves were, so too are donations and relief operations being carried out. The disaster has left behind tragedy and destruction, but it only serves to unite our country in the efforts to aid our brothers and sisters in the Visayas and Mindanao regions.

When they first estimated the death toll, it was a few hundreds. But as the storm cleared that number shot up to over ten thousand dead or missing. It is a tragic tale of loss. But at the end of the day, we have to come to terms with the fact that it's already happened. What's gone is gone. We can't just stop living and grieve for those who didn't make it. The only option is to get back up on our feet and help in whatever capacity we can, and hope for a better future. With our donations, we can help rebuild not just Tacloban, but the rest of the typhoon-ravaged regions.

Together we can make this tragic tale of loss into a tale of loss and survival.

Together, we will rise again. Bangon Pilipinas.

The Onslaught of Typhoon Yolanda II

An unexpected sequel

Just yesterday I published a blog post about Typhoon Yolanda (international code Haiyan). In the latter part of the post was a number of ways to donate and help the typhoon victims. While scrolling through my Facebook feed, I bumped across this article from BBC News.

As the Philippines recovers from the onslaught of Yolanda, relief operations are quickly gathering volunteers and goods. Unfortunately in some places the supplies are limited due to the damaged roads and cancelled flights; consequently, widespread looting and panic are ensuing in various affected regions. To quote the article:

"Relief workers are yet to reach some towns and villages cut off since the storm.

 In many areas there is no clean water, no electricity and very little food."

Also from the article, high school Teacher Andrew Pomeda told reporters:

"People are becoming violent. They are looting business establishments, the malls, just to find food, rice and milk... I am afraid that in one week, people will be killing from hunger." 

Donations 

Tonight, as I was scrolling through my Facebook and Twitter feeds, I came across a few more donation posters and announcements that I feel compelled not only to share and re-tweet, but to collate them into this blog post.

McDonalds

Please click the image to enlarge.

A McDonalds poster released earlier tonight.
From: the McDonalds Twitter page

If you live in the National Capital Region (Philippines) and are able to drop off any of the following donations in the poster, all McDonalds branches are drop-off points.

• Old yet wearable clothes
• Rice
• Toiletries
• Bottled Water
• Beddings
• Canned Goods
• Towels

Please do not feel limited by this list. Donate what you can.

Sagip Kapamilya

Please click the image to enlarge.

A list of banks that are accepting donations through the Sagip Kapamilya fund.
From: the DZMM Teleradyo Twitter page

For those who wish to donate in cash, the photo above are banks that accept donations through the Sagip Kapamilya (an emergency assistance program) fund. The great thing is they also have dollar accounts. More details can be found in their website: http://www.abs-cbnfoundation.com/sk/

Sanggunian ng mga Paaralang Loyola ng Ateneo de Manila

Ateneo de Manila University's Sanggunian's poster.
From: the Sanggunian's Facebook page

Please click the image to enlarge.

This body is the Student Council of the Ateneo de Manila University, a university along Katipunan Avenue, Quezon City.

If you live near this area, the council is having a collection drive for monetary donations only (for easier transfer; from November 11 - 15, next Monday to Friday). 

Additional details may be found in their original post here.

Yabu: House of Katsu

A thoughtful poster from Yabu: House of Katsu.
From: Yabu's Facebook pag

Please click the image to enlarge.

A touching poster from tonight on Facebook was from Yabu: House of Katsu's page. 100% of all profits next Wednesday (November 13, 2013) will be donated to the victims of Typhoon Yolanda.

Additional details may be found in their original post.

Preparation

China's Xinhua news agency reported that, in northern Taiwan, eight people were killed as a result of being swept out to sea by waves that are attributed to Yolanda.

In Hainan, six people on board a cargo vessel have gone missing. A typhoon alert has been issued in the said area as well as its nearby neighbors.

The typhoon is in Vietnam right now, as you can see in this photo, also from the BBC article.

The typhoon track of Yolanda as it enters the Mainland.
From: bbc.co.uk

Although having significantly weakened since exiting the Philippine Area of Responsibility, the effects were felt all the way in northern Taiwan. That's how bad it is. To any readers who might be in any of the neighboring countries, please be prepared for the typhoon that is coming your way.

The Onslaught of Typhoon Yolanda

Just a few days ago, a new typhoon started making the headlines of most of the newspapers here in the Philippines. It was christened as Typhoon Yolanda, internationally known as Typhoon Haiyan. It made landfall on the eve of November 6 in the Visayas region, placing a number of regions and islands under threat.

Strongest Typhoon

Every year, the Philippines is afflicted with several typhoons, causing rains, floods and strong winds. But this typhoon was an extremely large supertyphoon, with a diameter of about 600 kilometers. Making it the largest the Philippines has experienced. Below is an image to help you better picture how big this supertyphoon is and how much damage it has caused.

A satellite view of Yolanda.
From: gmanetwork.com

Since its landfall just this Wednesday, Yolanda had increased in intensity, becoming a Category 5 hurricane, the highest category in the Saffir-Simpson hurricane scale. Those that fall under this category have winds that are greater than 252 km/h. In 2005, meteorologists suggested the creation of a sixth category. This suggestion was put down due to the very few typhoons which would be eligible to be in this category.

According to the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC), upon landfall Yolanda's winds packed an average of 315 km/h, making it one of the worst typhoons in the history of the world. In contrast, Typhoon Tip (international code Warling), the then-strongest tropical cyclone, had winds with an average of 305 km/h. Imagine that. Had the sixth category been created, Yolanda would be among the few in that category.

Typhoon path

Yolanda's path in the Philippines.
From: newsinfo.inquirer.net

As you can see in the picture on the left from newsinfo.inquirer.net, the National Capital Region was not as severely affected as the regions in the south. We in the Metropolis are blessed to have only experienced a signal number 1 (following the Philippine Public Storm Warning Signals System) condition, as detailed by the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration - Department of Science and Technology (PAGASA-DOST) website:

"... only very light or no damage at all may be sustained by the exposed communities." 

Intensity and Onslaught

This gif shows the intensiy of Yolanda as it enters the PH.
From: qz.com and ssd.noaa.gov

In the severely-ravaged areas, telephone lines went down, but luckily cellphone signals have been re-established in some of the afflicted regions.

Bohol, which is just recovering from a devastating earthquake just last October, was one of the areas severely afflicted. Aside from the shortage of water and electricity as a result of the natural disaster, relief operations were affected by the supertyphoon and supply lines became increasingly limited, most flights carrying relief goods being cancelled or postponed. According to the news, it will take approximately 2 months for Bohol to have electricity, it's supply coming from an equally-ravaged Leyte.

I recently watched a news forecast from Tacloban City in Leyte, one of the most severely damaged areas, and it was disheartening. A three-story building was destroyed and washed away, a hospital had zero survivors, houses, schools and trees were washed away and dead bodies were floating in the murky water. I was near tears at seeing the corpses being hauled away by grieving relatives and friends. Mind you, these corpses were not just from the water and just happened to wash up, these corpses were also from homes, schools, hospitals and public buildings.

There was even one mother who was in a daze, carrying the body of her dead child. She was wading to a shelter, when the waves tore the body of her child from her arms. It was heart-breaking.

At around 2:30 in the afternoon, Yolanda exited the Philippine Area of Responsibility. But several coastal areas in the Visayas and Mindanao region are experiencing a storm surge. This is characterized by mini tsunamis that, by batch, smash into the land, washing away structures, trees and vehicles. Many residents are trapped in their homes and in public buildings, fearing the relentless waves.

In other areas, citizens have forcefully opened grocery stores and shops, grabbing as many supplies as they can, causing even more panic among the populace.

How you can help

In Visayas and Mindanao, areas are slowly getting back on their feet. Supplies and relief goods are trickling in the afflicted areas, but they are not enough.

Bohol and Leyte are just two of the many areas affected by Yolanda. There are thousands of displaced evacuees and millions of pesos worth of damaged property. If you have the capacity, I strongly urge you to donate what little you can, in cash or in kind.

If you would like to make a pledge, please call any of the following relief hotlines:

• (632) 411-0183
• (632) 411-0182
• (632) 411-0115
• (632) 411-0014
• (632) 411-0013

If you would like to donate directly to the Sagip Kapamilya (an emergency assistance program) headquarters, they are located in #13 Examiner St., West Triangle, Quezon City (hotline: (632) 411-4995). Additional details can be found in their website: http://www.abs-cbnfoundation.com/sk/

If you live near the Diliman area in Quezon City, the University of the Philippines Office of the Student Regent and Student Council are accepting donations such as but not limited to the following:

• Canned goods or packed food
• Instant noodles
• Rice
• Bottled Water
• Medicine and First Aid
• Clothes and toiletries
• Blankets

The following are posters with additional details. Please click if you wish to enlarge.

The UP University Student Council (left) and Office of the Student Regent (right) posters for relief goods.

If you would like to make a donation or be a volunteer for repacking but cannot go to the aforementioned places, please contact your local government officials on how to help.

If you have relatives and friends in need of rescue, please call the DZMM Emergency Hotline (632) 416-6300.

If you cannot donate in cash or kind, prayers are greatly appreciated. Please, pray for our countrymen.

Sources:

1. http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/11/07/13/super-typhoon-yolanda-packing-300-kph-winds-us-military
2. http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/photo/48095/super-typhoon-yolanda-as-seen-from-space
3. http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/521703/mass-evacuation-ready
4. http://www.pagasa.dost.gov.ph/genmet/psws.html