The Hurricane Aftermath

7 million people had been forced to flee their homes. Buildings blown away. Electricity was cut off. Water was disrupted. Communication was unavailable.

A category 5 hurricane hit the Philippines. We have just gotten communication from our community members because communications were cut off, especially in areas more affected. They have just confirmed that they are fine, but many of their houses were damaged.

In the aftermath, overturned vehicles piled up, countless trees snapped like matchsticks. People had been crushed by houses that crumbled in the wind. Some had to bury their dead immediately, as the funeral services could not get through the site. Residents in remote areas ran out of food.

Many bought electric generators to provide power, but gasoline became in demand. Thus, people had to line up for fuel at the gas stations. One mother had to bring her 3-year-old daughter to line up at the gasoline stations. She could not leave her daughter behind. Their house was destroyed. She desperately needed the gasoline for the motorcycle that they would use to look for water.

A United Nations agency has already called to raise funds “to support the (Philippine) government in responding to the most urgent humanitarian needs for the next six months.”

While the Philippines is picking itself up, we would like to raise a fund from the community to assist those who have been affected.

So far we have identified 15 NEAR community members affected by the typhoon.

The following photos are representative of the conditions in the Philippines described above:

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/27/world/asia/philippines-super-typhoon-rai.html