Help for victims of typhoon Ondoy

I didn't immediately realize the extent of the damage caused by the typhoon, because when it hit us on Saturday, there was minimal flooding in our area and none at all in our village. We didn't have any TV because the electricity went out for hours and I was caught up in worrying about my husband.

Then later that night when I went online I saw the photos (here are some from Sush's blog or you can google), and the following morning we watched the news and I was shocked. I mean, these are places that I've all been to, places I used to pass by everyday at one point, and places where my family and friends lived nearby. I saw a footage caught on video of people on a roof that was caught in a river in San Mateo, Rizal, it was horrifying. And when I saw photos of Marikina (a flood-prone area in Manila), I got nervous about my cousins, aunts, and uncles who we were supposed to visit there on Saturday. I've been unable to contact them since the storm hit, but my dad said he was able to talk to my aunt and they're okay though their houses were flooded.

Can you imagine your entire makeup collection, or actually your entire bedroom submerged in a flood? Everything you worked hard for- gone. Or the entire village in a deep flood and getting stuck on your rooftop (some with their month-old babies) for 24 hours with no food or water? This is what happened (and is still happening, I think some people haven't even been rescued!) to a lot of Filipinos. I even heard a call for rescue on TV from a woman who was in labor, stuck on her roof in the rain. But the worst is that people lost their loved ones in the floods, and some are still missing. My prayers go out to everyone who was affected by the typhoon.

If you would like to give much needed donations, or volunteer, here is a useful link on how to do it. For those who are staying at home like me, TXTPower.org is organizing a fund drive which will be forwarded to Red Cross and they accept donations through:

-Paypal (magbayanihan@yahoo.com.ph or click this link)
-Gcash (0917-9751092)
-SmartMoney (5577-5144-1866-7103)

You can also call your local Red Cross (people from the USA included) to inquire how you can help.