What a week. Three natural disasters that ravaged 4 countries. Those looking for ways to help can do so by checking below, for those wishing to assist in the rescue and care of the pets/animals that were effected by the storms can do so by contacting
the humane society(the article below originally appeared
here)
The past several days have seen a grouping of catastrophic events in
Southeast Asia and the Pacific. Hundreds are dead in the Philippines
and Vietnam after Typhoon Ondoy dropped torrential rainfall, a tsunami
flattened villages in American Samoa after an 8.0 earthquake struck in
the Pacific Ocean, and a 7.6 earthquake in Indonesia along the same
fault line that caused the 2004 tsunami has flattened buildings and
caused fires.
While we still don't know the full extent of the damage in some of
these locations, there are already aid groups on the ground helping to
provide food, water and clothing to those affected. You can help with
some of these efforts right now, especially in the Philippines and
Vietnam, where aid groups have been on the ground for several days.
We'll be consistently updating the sections below on American Samoa and
Indonesia, though relief workers are still arriving on the ground in
those locations.
Below is a list of links that can direct you to how best to send aid to disaster-affected areas around the globe:
Philippines
•Google has compiled an
extremely helpful list
of emergency numbers and groups in the Philippines who are accepting
donations. It also includes a broad view of the map displayed below.
•Help the
UN World Food Programme
by making a donation. This program identifies families in specific need
of aid. Just $18 provides a family with rice for two weeks. This is the
most critical and immediate way you can make an impact.
•UNICEF has already provided $143,000 worth of relief to affected
children in the region. You can call 1-800-4UNICEF or donate via their
Philippines Floods page.
•Plain and simple —
donate to the International Red Cross and help them continue to put relief workers on the ground in the Philippines.
•Donate via
Catholic Relief Services online or call 1-877-HELP-CRS
•Operation USA is preparing to send relief supplies to typhoon victims in and around Manila. Donate online at
www.opusa.org, by phone at 1.800.678.7255 or by check made out to Operation USA, 3617 Hayden Ave, Suite A, Culver City, CA 90232.
American Samoa
•
Aid efforts have begun in American Samoa though the full extent of the damage has not yet been assessed. The first
U.S. relief plane is expected to have landed at 1 p.m. ET Wednesday.
•The U.S. Coast Guard has dispatched resources to help in recovery
efforts, though workers will likely have to assess the extent of the
damage before significant aid is requested.
•Joe Becker, the Senior Vice President of Disaster Services has
uploaded an update to YouTube with the emergency response to the
tsunami in American Samoa. He discusses how problematic it is to get
enough supplies over the thousands of miles of Pacific Ocean. He thanks
those who have donated and asks for further donations to the
Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund.
• International relief agency Operation USA is sending emergency
medical aid to American and Western Samoa, appealing for donations to
go towards health care materials, water purification supplies and food
supplements that will be shipped from the Port of Los Angeles. Donate
online at
www.opusa.org, by phone at 1.800.678.7255 or by check made out to Operation USA, 3617 Hayden Ave, Suite A, Culver City, CA 90232.
Indonesia
•A 7.6 earthquake struck Indonesia at 5:00 p.m. local time. Thousands may still be
trapped under buildings according to Indonesia's Ministry of Health crisis center.
•The Indonesian vice president said that
75 are confirmed dead in Sumatra, though with more trapped under buildings, that number is expected to rise.
Read more at:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/09/30/indonesia-vietnam-america_n_304282.html