Before Christmas Day arrives, the island of the Philippines is hit once again with another deadly typhoon. Typhoon Sendong slammed devastating rain and unleashed flash floods in Cagayan de Oro and Iligan cities in Mindano last December 16, 2011. As the residents slept that Friday night, no one had an idea that tomorrow brings a horror of destruction.
As of today, the death toll has reached 720. Most of the dead were asleep when floodwaters rushed into their homes and drowned them. Sendong affected 21 municipalities, 78 barangays and 13,924 families (63,779 persons), with 245 injured and 807 reported missing. 3,422 houses were totally or partially damaged and there are still 38,332 persons housed in evacuation centers to date.
Authorities have announced that mass burial will be arranged soon. With the number of dead bodies found, coffins were not enough and local officials suggested that local saw mills help them solve this problem. It was estimated that billions worth of infrastructure and agriculture were damaged by the typhoon.
CDO and Iligan needs our help! YOU CAN HELP by sending online donations for Sendong victims through the Philippine Red Cross Website. (http://www.redcross.org.ph) They accept credit cards, paypal, direct deposit, cash or check donations. You can even use SMS to donate!
Here's how (from the Philippine Red Cross website):
Text RED<space>AMOUNT to 2899 (Globe) or 4143 (Smart)
G-Cash
Text DONATE<space>AMOUNT<space>4-digit M-PIN<space>REDCROSS to 2882
You can donate the following denominations:
Globe: 5, 25, 100, 300, 500 or 1000
Smart: 10, 25, 50, 100, 300, 500 or 1000
Every peso counts in order to heal our brothers and sisters. If you can read this YOU ARE LUCKY, most of our fellowmen doesn't have electricity, phone, water or shelter since Friday. Find it in your heart to care and share, YOU CAN BE SOMEONE'S HERO TODAY.
Thank you. God Bless!
