THOUSANDS FEARED DEAD FROM TYPHOON IN PHILIPPINES

News hits hard in San Diego, home to second most Filippinos in nation

By Miriam Raftery

November 10, 2013 (San Diego) -- The International Red Cross estimates that as many as 10,000 people may have been killed by a powerful typhoon that has struck the Philippines. Haiyan, also known as Yolanda in the Philippines, may be the strongest typhoon in history.

The typhoon generated winds three and a half times more powerful than Hurricane Katrina. It also triggered a storm surge 16 feet high. Nearly a thousand deaths have been confirmed so far.

The news is hitting hard locally.  With 182,000 Filippino residents, san Diego has the second largest Filippino population of any city in America, according to the 2010 census.

The International Relief Team, based in San Diego, has already sent $20,000 to help fund supplies for Typhoon Haiyan survivors. Supplies will come from Manila, which did not suffer storm damage, our news partner, 10 News, report.

Te International Relief Team is accepting donations to help survivors of the typhoon at its website, www.irteams.org.

Rescue Task Force, formerly in El Cajon and now in San Bernadino, is sending a cargo of supplies to the Philippines that includes food, clothing, shoes, medical, household goods & bikes.  To help, visit www.rescuetaskforce.org.

A Poway organization, Gawad Kalinga, has also organized a drive to raise funds to send food packages to the storm survivors.  For more information see http://gk-usa.org/

Donations to help survivors are also being accepted by Care.Org and by the international Red Cross. 

Unicef estimates that 1.7 million children live in areas impacted by the typhoon.

Over 800,000 people were evacuated ahead of the storm.  An estimated 80% of all buildings have been leveled in the city of Tacloban, which was the first city  liberated from the Japanese during World War II by U.S. and Filipino forces.

Now the U.S. military is once again rising to the Philippines’ defense.  U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel  has ordered the Pacific Command to deploy ships and aircraft to support search-and-rescue operations and fly in emergency supplies.

If you are looking for relatives missing in the disaster, Google has set up a search site athttp://google.org/personfinder/2013-yolanda/ .

This link has additional suggestions on where to search: http://travelersfootsteps.com/2013/11/ways-to-find-missing-person-in-vis...