Pala-isip

Here's a video of a house being swept away by Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda). Here's the description from the make of the video. "Footage taken at 6am on Friday 8 November as the storm hit Hernani in Eastern Samar. Plan staff member Nickson Gensis took this while sheltering on the 2nd floor of a house less than a few hundred metres from the sea. "Six of us took refuge on the top floor of a boarding house. Five were praying and I was filming. The others called me to pray with them but I said that I needed to document this." "Three of our group were male and we all wore trunks so that we could swim if we needed to. We were so scared. But I thought, 'if I die, so be it'." "It was like a huge tsunami but the water receded quickly afterwards. We ventured downstairs and outside around noon. I took shots of the boarding house we had been in because I was so thankful thank it protected me. At 2pm I started work, travelling to assess the damage...

This comment by Anderson Cooper is stinging. Post by Sheryl Garcia Reyes .

The NY Times has compiled a list of organizations where you can donate to help the Typhoon victims in the Philippines. I suggest you send your donations to these confirmed and legitimate organizations only. The other day, while grocery shopping, I was approached by a lady asking me to sign something. When I asked what it was, she told me it's to help the Typhoon victims in the Philippines. She never asked me for a donation right away, but instead, handed me a pen and a clipboard to sign my name and on the clipboard is a small brochure with a name of an organization and some photos of some children. Only when I asked what it was for did she tell me it was for donation to the Philippines (initially, I thought it was to sign up for credit card). I have never heard of the organization before and I do not know if they are a legitimate organization. I don't even know if they were allowed by the store to be in there to solicit donations. Maybe there are legitimate, but I am a...

An interview with Mark S. Biong Mayor Giporlos Eastern Samar. Biong tells government officials and reporters, "It's total destruction,". At least 95% of the town has been damaged. Biong has no estimates of casualties or survivors.

Post by Ormoc City, Leyte .

Post by Filipinos Abroad - Ramil T. Queroyla .

Super typhoon Haiyan yolanda Philippines typhoon philippines 2013 - Monster typhoon Haiyan hits Philippines [SCARY FOOTAGES] Typhoon Haiyan makes landfall in Philippines Typhoon Haiyan, super huge typhoon Philippines 2013 today Philippines hurricane raw footages huracan en filipinas typhoon storm hits impact philippines natural disaster phillipines 2013 one of the world largest storms ever, is currently making landfall in the Philippines. The storm has sustained winds of around 200mph, strong even for a category 5 hurricane. People in the Philippines are currently bracing for what is to come. The particular footage here was filmed from Yap island, east of the Philippines.

Here's a video of Super Typhoon Yolanda captured in Tacloban City. Post by Ormoc City, Leyte .

Super Typhoon Yolanda has now been rated as the strongest typhoon in the world this year. Storm Signal No. 4 has now been raised in several parts of the country.

Here is the path of Super Typhoon Yolanda. Please take the necessary precautions. Here is an infographic posted by the Philippine Red Cross on their Facebook Page.

There's a super typhoon coming. From ANC|Yahoo! Philippines (UPDATE) As the country braces itself for what could be super typhoon, Department of Science and Technology (DOST) Sec. Mario Montejo warned residents in the path of the storm to prepare for the worst. In an interview with DZMM's Ted Failon, Montejo said the weather disturbance, with international name "Haiyan," could intensify into a powerful howler with winds reaching 200 kilometers per hour that could take down and uproot even coconut trees. "We will not be surprised if it hits 200 (kph). Para maimagine natin na 200. Maimagine natin na what happened to Pablo. What happened to the latest typhoon in Cagayan na 132 (kph). This is much stronger. So yung mga niyog, matututmba yang mga yan," Montejo said. He also said the storm could "rip out the roofs of houses" and old structures such as churches. Montejo also advised residents to anchor or tie down the roofs of their houses. ...

Here are some videos of Typhoon Pedring. This was in Roxas Blvd. Mabini

Metro Manila was hit hard by another typhoon known as Typhoon Pedring. Due to the massive amount of rain, several dams had to be opened to release the potential overflows. As expected, the typhoon brought massive flooding similar to what happened to Typhoon Ondoy. Strong winds and rain also brought power outages. SM Mall of Asia was also reported to be waist deep in water at one point. Here are some photos I found online. Roxas Blvd Makati City Bulacan Pedro Gil SM Mall of Asia US Embassy Photos credits to their respective owners.

Here's an article by Ramon Tulfo that explains quite well why Filipinos are posing and smiling after the hostage crisis last Monday. According to Ramon Tulfo. The reason bloody incidents like the one at Rizal Park and tragedies such as typhoon “Ondoy” keep recurring is that Filipinos take misfortunes like a joke. We make jokes about other people’s miseries and mistakes. One day after the Rizal Park incident, jokes about the bumbling cops involved in the rescue started circulating. The acronym SWAT (Special Weapons and Tactics) had taken on different meanings: Sorry We Aren’t Trained. Sugod, Wait, Atras, Tago (Attack, Wait, Retreat, Hide) Sana Wag Ako Tamaan (Hope I don’t get hit) Sobrang Wala Akong Training (I’m very much ill-trained) Here’s a wry comment from a friend about the incident: “The Luneta massacre shows that our policemen are trained for HOSTESS-TAKING, not hostage-taking,” an obvious reference to cops who raid sleazy bars and force bar girls to have sex with them. The...

This is unconfirmed, but this is from Blog Ni Ella at http://www.ellaganda.com/ . Which is now down. I am reposting this from Jenniepperson.com who was able to copy Ella's blog before it went down. Again, this is unconfirmed. I am reposting in the hopes someone in the know can clarify the situation. ================ Aanhin pa ang damo kung patay na ang kabayo? (A special report from a volunteer) Oct 21st, 2009 by ella Dear friends, I’m asking your help to spread the word. Tulungan po ninyo akong ikalat ito. Beyond this, we should also demand action. I disabled a plugin so you can copy the photos of relief goods rotting in DSWD warehouses. You can link this post to your blogs, facebook, websites etc. You can also email the photos. Philippine News (US based Philippine newspaper) will use this as its front page story this week. Every Filipino has the right to know where the tons of donations from the UN and other counties go. Kahit po nakakahiya sa mg...

Update on Typhoon Pepeng.

Pagasa said it could raise public storm signal number 4 over Northern Luzon Friday night if Typhoon "Pepeng" continued to strengthen in its current track. According to PAGASA Director Prisco Nilo, storm signal number 4 means winds of up to 185 kilometers per hour over a region. "Its possible that we will have to raise storm signal number 4 over Northern Luzon by Friday around 11 p.m.," Nilo told reporters Thursday. Full story on the Philippine Daily Inquirer . I hope the government is prepared for this one this time.

Check out this link to track Super Typhoon Parma (Pepeng)'s path to the Philippines. http://rammb.cira.colostate.edu/products/tc_realtime/storm.asp?storm_identifier=WP192009

Here's a CNN weather report on Super Typhoon Parma (Pepeng). Forecasted to hit Metro Manila late Friday and Saturday. Winds 240km or greater.