It is Saturday and we’re only starting to find out just how much damage Super Typhoon Yolanda (international name Haiyan) brought to the country in the past 48 hours.
For sure, we are thankful that Metro Manila was spared, and that there seems to be better disaster preparedness in the worse hit areas of the country. Still, we continue to pray for everyone’s safety and look forward to the people rising from yet another challenge.
I was at work when Yolanda’s strength started to manifest and was oblivious to just how powerful she was. To my surprise, our sister site in Leyte was shutdown for evacuation. They’re located in Palo and I visited them last year. Hope everyone is safe and none of our employees or their families were harmed.
The Office of the Student Regent of the University of the Philippines has issued a call for donations, details in this poster:
A relief drive is also happening at the 10a Alabama Arts and Crafts fair this weekend, so if you were already thinking of dropping by for early Christmas shopping, you can bring along donations too:
Donations can be in the form of canned goods, clothes, rice, blankets, biscuits, slippers, shoes. These are commonly what’s needed in evacuation centers. I suppose some equipment and services are also needed, along with manpower, but best coordinate those types of donations with the local government or relief organizations like Red Cross. Relief and aid workers will surely have to be well equipped as they deliver the goods and services to those most in need. They’ll probably need ropes, proper footwear, flashlights, batteries, and tools that will help them clear debris, maybe even something like those band clamps online. Let’s include them in our prayers as well.
Even as we continue to rise after the earthquake that took the lives and livelihood of many in the Visayas, we will again triumph over this challenge, that’s what’s sure. Indeed, the Filipino spirit is waterproof.
Credits to Rye Tan @ryisrye and WaterProofPH Tumblr.
