Kategorie: News
An underrated killer ravages the island world of the Philippines
The super typhoon turned Surigao del Norte, Dinagat Island, Southern Leyte, Bohol and parts of Cebu into a debris field on Dec. 16, 2021. Things are not looking good on Negros either. Here, large areas are still completely under water. With wind speeds of 195 km/h and gusts of up to 260 km/h, Rai wiped out the livelihoods of thousands of people, leveling some 20,000 homes to the ground. Washed out - as they say in the Philippines, when you see all your belongings floating away and all you can do is save your life.
An underestimated killer: "I remember a conversation with my Filipino spouse Lizah, 'Oh, here comes a typhoon, will bring some rain to Manila.' That's how many people, including us, felt about the approaching typhoon." A little rain my ass, Odette is shaping up to be a super typhoon, not quite as destructive as Haijan (Jolanda) in November 2013 but still with tremendous destructive potential.
According to Disaster Response Operations Monitoring and Information Center (DROMIC) data as of Dec. 20, 2021, more than 1.8 million people (452,000 families) in 3,286 villages are affected by Typhoon Rai. According to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), 631,402 people are homeless or in Evacuation Centers (see also Collective Rapid Assessment Report (pdf)).
First the impact of Corona, then a super typhoon
To get information for this article, all the contacts we have in the Philippines were activated. The answers that came in one by one were so intense that they were difficult to process mentally.
Many dive centers that we got to know and love in the past are now so badly damaged that their now completely desperate owners are thinking of finally giving up. First Corona - no tourists for many months and then as a crowning finale a super typhoon! The people, with whom we have experienced carefree vacations, are facing the final end!
It is not only buildings that were destroyed. Most of the boats of the locals, thus their livelihoods as fishermen and the boats of the dive centers were reduced to rubble by the typhoon. The popular Alona Beach on Panglao has become a ghostly graveyard of ships. According to first cautious estimates, about 300 boats were lost. Even massive vessels such as the well-known Ocean Jet ferries, for transfers from Cebu to Tagbilaran, Dumaguete and Siquior, lie completely destroyed and half sunken as wreckage next to the pier in Tagbilaran. The crews were able to save themselves at the last second by jumping onto the pier.
No electricity, no clean water, no food
The dive centers in Southern Leyte lost most of their boats. Villages like Padre Borgos were partially razed to the ground. The damage in the small town of Sogod is immense, according to friends on the ground. Whole parts of the town have been "washed out."
There is no electricity in the entire disaster area and clean water and food are scarce or even non-existent. Building materials and tools are missing. Generators or at least solar panels for electricity for communication are urgently needed. And people need a roof over their heads.
Numerous people have lost their lives to Rai. How many there really are is still largely unknown, as communication is still severely limited because the networks have collapsed. Many people are still missing and the number of confirmed deaths is increasing day by day.
It is absolutely clear; the entire Philippines currently has its back against the wall. Self-help is not enough. The people there need our help. Right now!
Donate
There are various ways to donate for the affected people in the Philippines and you will surely find the right organization for you. We call for donations for the following organization, in which we have full confidence:
Children's Joy Foundation / Philippine Relief Society.
At the moment there are 19 children plus 4 teenagers living in the orphanage Children's Joy Foundation Dumaguete (Detailed information regarding the Foundation (pdf)).
Silke de Vos writes about her project: "We (my husband Peter and I) have been supporting the Children's Joy Foundation in Dumaguete for 15 years and I received the news from the home's management that their home had suffered very extensive damage from Typhoon Rai (Odette).
In 2018, we founded the Philippine Relief Association. We would like to run the donation processing through this and can also issue a donation receipt."
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