The recent storm that ravaged parts of Northern Mindanao and cities such as Cagayan de Oro and Iligan City have taken a tremendous toll on life and property. It’s an incredibly harsh natural disaster, and to hit the week before Christmas makes this particularly difficult to understand. If I were in better shape I would have figured out a way to help more, but for now, our family is simply providing donations to other organizations that are better equipped or suited to provide immediate assistance. If you are abroad or in the Philippines, and want to help, you might consider the Philippine Red Cross, here, or any other reputable organization of your choice. Thousands and thousands of kababayans in Mindanao need your help. Thank you!!!
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txt fire philippines is also having relief operations. donations in all kinds are accepted.
or kapuso foundation they have the info on how to donate on their site..
The NBI’s Quick Reaction Team (QRT), composed of medical doctors, chemists, and other lab staff have just been deployed to CDO and Iligan…they will assist in identifying found remains…Let us pray for the survivors and the rest of the victims in Mindanao…a sad incident in the merry season…still, life must go on…
Here are groups and links of sites that list the organizations running relief efforts and how to contact them.
1. Xavier University -Ateneo de Cagayan de Oro
https://www.phjesuits.org/features/1111-bagyong-sendong-relief-operations-in-xavier-university
2. https://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=760098&publicationSubCategoryId=200
3. Phil Red Cross https://www.redcross.org.ph/donatenow
4. httpss://www.facebook.com/notes/boggs-tanggol/how-to-help-bagyong-sendong-victims/10150431785163262
Suggestion on what to give to relief efforts from this site httpss://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=10150432030408262
(1) If you can, ask point persons there to have a separate count for men, women, children, elderly, disabled.
(2) If you get monetary assistance, please include in the things that you’ll buy hygiene kits (emphasize ko na dito ang sanitary napkins kasi laging nakakalimutan)
(3) NO canned goods unless they have a can opener in the area (that’s frustrating evacuees even more)
(4) More than clothes, have malongs/blankets that can help women and girls cover themselves–sad to say, uso ang rape, incest, and other sexual abuse sa EC (Evacuation Centers)
My add: WATER.
Thanks for the link as to how we can help our fellow Pilipinos. It’s a tragic event right before Christmas. It makes one think about what is really important during this time of year.
The flood victims need immediate aid and everyone should do what they can. But we also have to act on what caused the flooding.
UNDERSTANDING THE FLOODING OF CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY
By Uro Tahup
Geologists from the University of the Philippines National Institute of Geological Sciences conducted an aerial survey and rapid assessment of Cagayan De Oro City a few years ago. The four person team included Prof. Fernando Siringan (now with the U.P. Marine Science Institute), Prof. Alfredo Mahar Lagmay, Prof. Emeritus Kelvin Rodolfo (also with the University of Ilinois) and Riovie Ramos, associate researcher from the U.P. MSI.
What were their main findings and recommendations?
Cagayan de Oro should encourage movement to higher grounds, not necessarily uplands. This should not compromise the city’s remaining forest cover since reforestation will play a key role in mitigating further calamities.
Reforestation is a must. If it will not take place upstream, the areas downstream will suffer. Floods in Cagayan de Oro have become more frequent and higher, in large part due to the 2,000 hectares of forest cover from its watershed which were converted to agriculture and other uses and never replaced. As a result, riverside areas suffer from poor water retention and contribute to the high sediment loads of rivers, constricting waterways and shallow river mouths.
and all LBC branches will ship donated goods to the disaster areas for free.
a social worker friend of mine who works with the DSWD in davao is going to cagayan de oro today with her co-workers to augment the psychosocial/counselling support intervention to survivors of typhoon Sendong. they do not know if they’ll be back before christmas. she is praying for “extra strength emotionally, mentally and physically in this endeavor”.
it’s going to be a tough job. please pray not just for the dswd teams but for the thousands of relief workers, donors and agencies who are trying their best to ease the pain and suffering.
donations need not be limited to food…the children need school materials, books, etc. the adults need cooking implements, and everything needed to rebuild lives and homes.
Thanks everyone for the tips and links. I’ve nothing to add except I hope donors would refrain from sending “useless” items such as sequinned gowns, barongs, used underwear, costumes and so on. A lot of people use this as an opportunity to clean out their closets. They may provide comic relief to volunteers for a brief moment but they also add to the clutter.
I agree with Joe, I was thinking where local thrift shops get their clothes in bulk, it may be a good idea to send those too.
Kakusina, denuded forest being the culprit and therefore reforestation being the solution is actually a myth. It’s global waming. Excessive precipitation causes surge storm that causes flood. Simple logic dictates that water absorption by the roots is a a very slow process, and the root system of the trees even compact the soil making it more difficult to absorb run off water on the surface. Anyways, the bottomline is many lives were lost and help is desperately needed for those who survived. When thinking on what to give it should make sense to consider stuff that could help put them back up like construction materials and not just the primal needs. I’m sure a great majority of donors have already rushed in food, clothing and medicine.
Thanks for the links, MM and fellow Market Manila readers. It just won’t make any sense to celebrate Christmas without doing something for our distressed kababayans in Mindanao.
This is the time to share our blessings to those affected by this unfortunate event. Thanks MM!
httpss://docs.google.com/document/pub?id=1LSXx2Xt3D_0203ah6VyzLDLrI5v19oYaMnErsNwHRLI&pli=1 a great link pertaining to all CDO info for relief efforts, donations, etcetera.
I’m from cdo, probably bakeries can send their empty margarine/lard container (laton, like a giant pail but smaller than a drum), para imbakan ng tubig rationed from fire trucks. Faucets dont work, cleaning mud house is a challenge.
I grew up in CDO, and the town I spent my youth in is one of the harder-hit areas. Some friends and I have been collecting from our office mates and friends and have been bringing them to LBC for sending. It really boggles my mind… =(
Immediate needs are:
Clean drinking water
mats (banig) and blankets (kumot) esp for those in evac centers
Clean underwear
water containers