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Tropical Storm Ketsana has hit Luzon island in the Philippines.  Typhoon Ondong or Ondoy, as it is called in the Philippines has caused flooding of many areas in Manila, the nation's capital and Quezon City and many suburbs around both cities. There are reports of at least 240 people who have died in flooding in Manila alone, where more than 80 percent of the city was under water at the height of the storm.
A letter form my friend Susie who lives in Cebu City on another island.
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Hi Sonia,
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I am on my way to pack relief goods. The country is overwhelmed and we cannot cope with the extent of the damage. I will send you a video...please post it for me because we need as much help as we can get....we got double the rainfall that New Orleans got in Katrina. Between the rainfall, the high tide and the excess from the dams, the devastation is horrific.
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My family in Manila is safe, thank God, because my sister decided to landfill their property after a minor flood in 1994. The water was 20 feet in some areas, not just in the poorer sections of the city but in the wealthy enclaves as well. We know people who have lost everything. Of course it is all relative...the ones we know personally can afford to rebuilt their lives but the majority of the flood victims are below the poverty line.Â
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The government has been slow out of the blocks and private groups are pitching in for relief efforts. Yesterday 4,000 bags were packed with goods and today we hope to do the same.Â
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Cebu had rain and high wind but we are an interior island mostly protected. thanks for asking.
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Hope all is well.Â
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hugs, susie
I will post the video when she sends it to me, if I can find out how to do it.
There is another typhoon approaching
Please contact your nearest Red Cross to see how you can help
Sonia
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Comments: 8
Thanks for sharing and posting a first-person account of the storm, Sonia.
I finally heard from cousins who live in Quezon City, the sister city of Manila. They are one of the lucky ones who were not affected by the flooding. Their house is in a gated community on higher ground and so far, they are doing well. They are also hosting another family whose 2 story house in another part of the city was totally submerged by the flood. However, they are concerened about the new storm that is on its way to the islands. It is potentially a much stronger and dangerous storm than Ketsana/ Ondoy.
Glad to know your family in Quezon City are ok...If you find me in Facebook, you can see the video that Susie shared with me....I can't figure out how to get the URL of it to post it in Gather....
Susie sent me some photos also that just made me cry.
For some reason, though, the media is concentrating more on the Samoa tragedy than in the Philippine tragedy....
We need to be aware of both.
Please call your local Red Cross and see what you can do, even in a small way....every little bit will help.
I have provided links to where people can make donations to help in one of my posts.
http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977830616
I'll try to e-mail Susie and see if I can get updates