Menopause Matters Forum
General Discussion => This 'n' That => Topic started by: Rowan on November 11, 2013, 01:51:19 PM
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Not sure if this allowed but we have donated through The Red Cross
http://www.dec.org.uk/blog/typhoon-haiyan-strikes-philippines
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I have a friend of long standing who is currently missing :'( I will make up the spare room in case he flees here ......... all communications are down, they are never very good anyway and we have only been intermittently in touch for 6-8 weeks after a break due to bad phone lines etc..
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Oh those poor people having to go through all that loss and destruction and then to need food and shelter. We don't know how well off we really are, do we?
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The aid seems to be taking a heck of a long time to get through.
Our local radio station is appealing for cash to help but I read that the UK has sent £6 million and that has had no effect yet. :'(
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I think this disaster will turn out to be worse the 2004 Tsunami in humanitarian terms.
http://m.livescience.com/41124-haiyan-tsunami-comparison.html
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We should not judge. The Oxfam Aid is ready but it has to be got to the airport: flown to where it is required: often to air strips which have been badly damaged. It then has to be unloaded and trucked to where it is required but the roads are out, water and bodies everywhere, debris ....... give the Agencies a chance!
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It's always like this after disasters. Takes forever to get the necessary aid through. The aid will get there, but it doesn't happen overnight. By comparison, look at our relatively minor storm a couple of weeks back, took a few days to restore power to some places. The disaster in the Philippines is huge, like the boxing day tsunami.
Can't even begin to imagine what it's like to be there.
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If you want an idea go to the BBC World coverage :'( ....... mud, mud, heavy rain, more mud .......... however, as this event was forecast well before hand, why didn't UK agencies get supplies at least as far as the coast/air ports ready for dispatch instead of waiting until today :-\ ....... it now won't be there until Thursday!
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I have a friend of long standing who is currently missing :'( I will make up the spare room in case he flees here ......... all communications are down, they are never very good anyway and we have only been intermittently in touch for 6-8 weeks after a break due to bad phone lines etc..
I've only just seen this CLKD. Have you heard from your friend yet? Which island is he on?
Taz x
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He moved to Bohol in March. No news. Most lines are down. He probably lost his computer with all details on. UK Red Cross recommend contacting Foreign Office.
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They were saying on the beeb that many roads & bridges have been destroyed making it hard to shift in aid at ground level. Lots of people are struggling to make contact with family & friends. Hope you hear soon CLKD.
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He may be lucky CLKD - Bohol was not badly hit although they lost power and water for a while. There is news here about Bohol http://www.interaksyon.com/article/74553/power-water-supply-back-to-normal-in-bohol
Taz x
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Why is it when areas have been destroyed, power is out and roads impassable there is always a very well turned out reporter broadcasting to the world. :-\
I hope you have news of your friend soon CLKD.
Honeyb
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Why shouldn't the reporters be well dressed, they take their own supplies too in order not to be a drain on the local situation. If they are suitable attired they stand out from the people affected, reporters have been handed notes to put onto internet sites and mobile numbers so that the journalists can contact relatives.
Thanks Taz will take a look.
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My point was they manage to get through so why can't others.
Honeyb
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The press get through by whatever means they can find - they can get to places with their small kit that the big transports carrying aid would struggle to reach. Seeing images of the destruction raises people's awareness of how bad things are and tends to make them dig deeper in their pockets to help out.
I don't think the aid agencies could sensibly get supplies to a region before things like this hit - the path the storm took through the islands couldn't be accurately predicted ... what if they'd taken millions of pounds' worth of supplies to an area that was 'supposed' to be safe, then the storm veared off its expected path and destroyed the supplies? The world is a small place these days - actually getting supplies to the country affected is the easy bit of the relief effort (and takes the least time) - getting it distributed around a massive area that has been completely torn apart takes much longer.
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Looking via GOOGLE at Taclaban airport it seems that the landing strip is on one section jutting into the sea with a 4 mile trip the main part of the area.
I have tried to send an on-line Form to the Foreign and Commenwealth Office today: but they require Passport details, address, phone numbers of those missing ........ well most of that info isn't in my address book and most of that info well may be lost in the sludge :'( - will send them a snail mail ..........
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Perhaps his close family would have more luck. I guess they would have private details that a friend would not.
I suppose the efforts of the officials will be concentrated on helping the families of those who are missing rather than friends. If there is no family then do you know details of next of kin.
Honeyb
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I don't think Bohol was too badly hit CLKD - it doesn't seem to have been in the direct path of the storm. Of course they were still recovering from the earthquake a few weeks ago which killed 200 people. :(
"Meanwhile, Bohol was still without power Saturday due to the typhoon, which destroyed more than 27 houses and uprooted 48 trees. Many of the houses in Bohol were either destroyed or damaged by the earthquake."
There are no reports of any deaths as far as I can see so hopefully your friend is ok. When did you last speak to him?
Taz
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Hugged in 2001: 'Speak' ? 10 years ago ::) : e-mail - last week ......... he is estranged from family. Must get my snail mail letter written.
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Hopefully he let you know in the email whether he was evacuating to somewhere else? It looks hopeful anyway. Fingers crossed.
Taz
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Of course he didn't have any inkling about what was to come ........ so the e-mail was chatty and up-beat. In fact in Jan he wrote to say that thyphoons usually missed the area by 5 miles ........... little knowing that this latest one was going to be over-head :-\ and there was another large quake there yesterday :'(
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:bounce: my friend sent an e-mail 10 mins ago. :-* apparently the weather during the Typhoon was like 'a normal day in Auckland' but they have been without power, water etc. since the storm. He is shopping for generators, bottled water, LED lights .........
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Good news indeed CLKD! Though not so great about power, water etc.
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So glad to hear your friend is safe CLKD
Hurdity x
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Good to hear abut your friend CLKD
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So pleased it's good news. I didn't understand the Auckland reference though..
Taz x :-\
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He was living in NZ for many years. Auckland is breezy at best, gale force usually ;)
I've had 2 more messages this evening :-*
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Ah - thank you. My friend lives in Auckland but she's never mentioned wind :lol:
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Lucky Girl ;D ........ my friend builds boats so knew about wind across the area ............ some days it was so bad that they couldn't launch :o
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I had heard that it is very good at raining in Auckland.
That, combined with strong winds would explain the Auckland comments perhaps
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My friend's husband is in the navy but I guess they have bigger boats ;D ;D
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Any male living in NZ has to do so many weeks in one of the Forces. Our friend was in the Navy and had to take part in lots of 'exercises'.
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Are you talking about Conscription CLKD? If so this ended in 1972 - males no longer have to do National Service. Either that or my male friends who live out there are hiding their identities! ;)
Taz x
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I must admit I was wondering about that.
When we got residency in 2000, no mention was made of National Service.
OH would not have been impressed ::)
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Auckland sounds much like Scotland ;D. Lots of rain and wind and daft folk bobbing about on boats.
No national service up here .....yet ;D
Honeyb
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Bobbing about? They lurch up here. ;D
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My friend moved there in 1971 and has been required to do several weeks in the Navy since he went!
Noticably the disaster has gone from the media News ........... :-\
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They're having him on CLKD! ;D
Taz x
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Bobbing, lurching. To someone who is seasick it all looks much the same.
I love looking at the sea but unless it's flat calm I won't go on it ;D
Last weekend we watched a group of windsurfers who were going so fast I think the first stop was going to be Ireland ;D
Honeyb
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Not Millport? ;D
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I think the rate they were going Arran would have just been a blur.
We get a lot of daft folk on boats up here and also a marina full of floating caravans which never move. The owners love to dress up and ponce around though.
;D
Honeyb
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;D
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Not at all Taz! If one moves to a new place then one fits in with the Laws of the Land :-\ and being part of the Navy was compulsory for all incomers.
No news today either, the disaster has dropped out of the media attention :'(
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The "laws of the land" changed in 1972. No more conscription after that date. I checked with one of my best friends today who has lived there since 1977 - there is no requirement for males (or females) to work for any of the services while living in NZ. It did used to be the rule, much as it was here, but not nowadays.
I have heard news on the Philippines on both Radio 4 and Radio 1 and our local news programme had a woman who has given over her house for collecting stuff to be sent out there. Have you got much fund raising going on in your area CLKD?
Taz x
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:thankyou: haven't heard of any fund raising here. Probably more so in the towns where there is an ethnic population. Here in the villages fund raising is more for church/chapel events. The Charity Shops have posters in their windows and I do shop in most of them: but monies raised will be for the next disaster, to fill the warehouses ready for when required: water purification kits, blankets, tents .......... Oxfam are near Bicester apparently, the warehouse is HUGE!
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Not sure what an ethnic population has got to do with it! :-\
I live in very un-ethnic rural SW England and some of the mums organised a coffee morning last weekend in aid of Shelterbox, and a friend in rural N Cornwall organised a music performance folk evening in aid of the same charity.... there is all sorts going on round here for fund-raising and there are only small towns and not ethnic!
Hurdity x
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That confused me too.
You really can't get much less ethnic than SW Scotland and we fund raise for every thing.
I really don't think it makes much difference what ethnicities are where. Charity fundraisers are everywhere.
Honeyb
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In this area there is more likely to be fund raising in ethnic communities where parts of the families remain 'at home'. We have lots of Philipinno nurses, Egyptian Doctors etc., also those in the service/food industries. Families directly involved are more likely to continue with sending clothing/money 'home' because once it's out of the media eye, then Life generally moves on. I have asked our friend if he requires anything: water purification units etc.: and at present, he doesn't.