11/13 cyclone

[xray]

Hope all is well with out PI friends after this terrible system moved through, any 1st hand reports ?

I would imagine comms from the area might be rather spotty for now and some time to come.

[fots2]

Hi xray,

I live about an hour or so south of Manila. We had moderately strong winds and a bit of rain for a few hours but no problems at all. All board members that I am aware of live north of here which is further away from the typhoon. Those in its direct path were not so luck though. Emerging reports sound very bad.

Thanks for the concern.

[Bob Hudson]

Bataan experienced similar conditions. Moderate winds and rain but no damage. We were lucky. If it had turned north and hit highly populated areas, the death toll would would have been unbelievably high. We have coconut trees nearby and the coconuts become cannonballs in high winds, which we have already discovered previously. I can't even imagine 250 kilometer per hour winds. My prayers go out to those poor souls who because of their impoverished lives, were in a situation impossible to survive in.

[okla]

Hey Fots. Bob, Battery and others....I have had you guys in my prayers ever since that horrendous storm started heading West toward the PI. Hope you all come out okay. WestAussie's wife has relatives living in Leyte, if memory serves. That region is taking the brunt of this storm as I get it.

[pdh54]

Hey guys,

Chad and are are relieved to hear that this storm missed our Proboard friends. I pray that your extended families were safely out of the disaster zone too.

Since it is not feasible to physically come and help out, what would you say would be the best avenue to donate money to help?

I had thought either Catholic Relief services or the Philippine Red Cross. I know a lot of UN based organizations will be sending help but they seem too political in nature. I would like any donation to actually provide water, food, diapers etc.

Any suggestions based on past disasters?

Thanks

Patty

[xray]

Thanks for any updates, I have been through some nasty hurricanes here but probably nothing as intense as this. 1st hurricane I was in was by intention, I wanted to experience it ,,, Very scary and lucky I lived, that was enough for me but I went through 2 more unintentional but not as bad as the 1st. It is just uncanny looking up at those spiral clouds that most people only see on a satellite shot, it feels very personal, like the storm is directed at you. If you are by a large lake or body of water, like I was, you see the water level swelling well in advance of the actual storm, and this gives you an idea of the awesome power these storms have. As it gets closer and you can lean into the wind with all your weight and not fall down, you know its about time to take cover before you are blown away into oblivion.

The deadly force packed into these systems can hardly be imagined, I know the body count there will be over 1,000 and am very sorry for that.

[darthdract]

There are reports of up to 10,000 people dead and mobs swarming Army trucks just to get supplies a local mall was also looted. There are some stories circulating on social media sites as well but we have no way to confirm those "rumors" of government cover up and reports of large mobs terrorizing the survivors etc, and other forms of abuse.

As usual during natural calamities some people are taking advantage of the situation to draw some attention to them selves and create unnecessary fear and panic and promote hatred.

There where also some Rumors about a local Christian sect refusing to let some survivors take shelter in their church and its causing a mile long thread in Facebook right now. Like I said this are just rumors and yet people have jump in and started calling names etc,

[okla]

Hey Darth....Good to know that you are okay. It seems that people, the world over, react much the same way during natural disasters. The first establishments looted in the US are usually liquor stores. That tells me something. Again, I am thankful you are safe and sound

[darthdract]

Thank you Okla, your thoughts are well appreciated. I heard that the USMC are already in Leyte helping to secure the area. We are fortunate Manila was spared it would have surely destroyed our house if it hit the metro.

[xray]

Not sure about that okla, the Japanese seemed to behave remarkably in the face of terrible mass devastation & death.
I understand that the area is fairly destitute in the best of circumstances, so the potential for civil disorder is much more likely, I hope they get a handle on the situation before it gets out of hand. It is ugly to contemplate but yes, in many parts of the world the same or worse would happen when you have a mass of people in a survival situation and government resources are not capable of effectively dealing with it.
Logistics must be a complete nightmare, hopefully US military can give a little relief.