On Nov. 8, the unexpected happened to the Philippines: Typhoon Haiyan struck, affecting as many as 11 million people with the official death toll standing at 2,300, and could possibly rise much higher.
John wrote an article here about the typhoon and about the relief efforts. With relief slowly trickling in and the panic lessening, it has given away to desperation for the basic needs of food and water.
A great deal of aid and the staff needed to distribute it are stuck in Manila and the nearby airport of Cebu, a 45 minute flight away.
- The Tacloban Airport area before and after the typhoon, extensive damage to buildings has led to a delay in aid.
This lead to some residents raiding to get food,overrunning a rice warehouse in Leyte, collapsing a wall killing eight people. Despite this incident, the police say that the situation is improving on the ground.
- Relief goods are packed by volunteers in Manila before being shipped out to devastated provinces hit by the typhoon.
For the survivors of the typhoon in the Philippines, the question comes to what we, as people of Calgary, can do to aid them. When calamities like this occur, it is natural for people to want to immediately help in anyway they can, however, some aid can hinder more than help. This article talks about what the survivors really need and how some donations aren’t always wanted.
The government and humanitarian organizations are stressing that we donate money rather than give good like clothes or food. Some organizations accepting donations include:
- Typhoon Relief Fund: Any donation of up to $100,00 to a registered Canadian charity involved in the relief effort will be matched by the Canadian Government, with donations being accepted until December 8th.
- UNICEF: An airlift has been sned by the UN children’s organization to the Philipines with sanitation supplies and other needs. Donations towards the aid can be made here.
World Vision- Doctors Without Borders(Médecins Sans Frontières): This organization currently has 15 staff in the City of Cebus on Cebu Island, and plans to send an additional 50 people along with medical and relief supplies in the next few days. The donation page for aid is here.
- Salvation Army
More charities and organizations can be found here and here.
Also, in Calgary, the Filipino community is rushing to gather supplies and cash to help typhoon survivors. Some volunteers are organizing a telethon on December 1st called Pasko ng Pagbangon (A Christmas Fundraising) collecting canned goods and other relief items to help the victims of the typhoon. The telethon is going to be held at the Pacific Place Mall at 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and 10 phone lines will be available to receive pledges from anyone who wants to help flood victims.
The Samaritan’s Purse in Calgary is also helping with the typhoon aid, putting together 3,000 hygiene kits for typhoon victims.
If you have any family of friends in the Philippines, Google has set up a special site dedicated to helping find or share information on loved ones. Telus and Shaw Communications are also temporarily offering free land line phone calls to the Philippines for Albertan customers.
On a final note: Please be wary of the charities and organizations you donate money towards the flood relief, rather unfortunately, there are some people out there who use natural disasters like this as a way to steal money. To verify whether the charity you are donating to is a registered one, please check this website. Also, doing the research on how much of the money donated to the charities actually goes towards the aid helps you know if your money is being used usefully. Finally, my prayers and thoughts are with those affected by this typhoon, and I hope that help and aid will come soon to those who need it.