Task Force NOAH for the victims of Typhoon Frank - UPDATED! 7/9/08

UPDATES ON TASK FORCE NOAH BELOW!

Re-posting this emailed appeal from Simbahang Lingkod ng Bayan (SLB)& ADMU Disaster Response and Management (DREAM) Team (slb@admu.edu.ph)

Let's all try to help and be the conduits of the blessings the typhoon victims pray to God for. Kindly repost in your e-groups and/or blogs. Thank you.

TASK FORCE NOAH
for the victims of Typhoon Frank

Typhoon FRANK (International Codename: Fengsen) caused vast damages to lives, properties and livelihood of our follow countrymen over the weekend. As of the latest report, the number of casualties has been increasing. Damages were greatly felt in some regions where the actual path of the typhoon crossed. Almost all of the province of Iloilo is submerged in water. People are still stranded on top of the roofs of their houses for two days now in some towns of Iloilo. Other areas of the Visayas are also calling for aid.

General Information:

As of 23 June 2008:

10,000 families (40,000 individuals) affected of 20 provinces, 10,000 families are in 275 evacuation centers and increasing.

Under State of Calamity: Provinces of Iloilo, Capiz, Masbate. Cities of Iloilo, Roxas, Zamboanga (selected areas). Municipalities in Bulacan-Paombong and Marilao

NDCC: Floods, storm surge and landslides mostly in the Visayas and Southern Tagalog have affected 366,444 people. Of the total number of affected people, 182,686 were in the Western Visayas, including 155,005 in Antique province alone.

Stranded 5,095 passengers, 288 rolling cargo, 90 trucks, 59 passenger buses, 48 small vehicles, and eight sea vessels.

ILOILO Facts
“BULIG ILOILO”

Philippine National Red Cross; based on field reports from PNRC staff, the death toll had reached 229, with 101 reported in Iloilo alone.

Iloilo Gov. Neil Tupas earlier said 59 people drowned in the province while another 40 were missing. “Almost all the towns are covered by water. It’s like an ocean,” Tupas said, adding thousands have been displaced in the province that is home to 1.7 million people.

Health Secretary Francisco Duque also said he received reports that the Aniway District Hospital in Iloilo, was submerged in floodwaters as deep as six feet.

Almost all of Iloilo’s 42 towns and this city, including those that had not previously experienced flooding, were under water according to Jerry Bionat, Executive officer of the Provincial Disaster Coordinating Council (PDCC).

Power outrage reported in Iloilo City; including Odiongan town, Romblon and Antique Province

Our contacts in the Philippine Air Force are willing to fly even round-the-clock relief operations for Typhoon Frank’s victims but unfortunately they tell us there are no relief goods to airlift. We are appealing for donations like ready-to-eat goods, water, clothing and/or cash/check for the victims of Typhoon Frank. Primary target of this initiatives are the heavily affected communities and areas not normally reached by relief operations. We intend to send the relief donations immediately for the urgent need of the victims.

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*DONATION MECHANISM*

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GOODS
You may directly donate your goods: ready-to-eat goods, clothing, water at Room 102 Cervini Residence Hall, Ateneo de Manila University, Loyola Heights, Quezon City.

Contact Person : Mr. Tim Gabuna
Trunkline : 426-6001 local 5932
Direct line : 426-6119
Mobile number : 0920-9609802

CASH/CHECK
Direct deposits may be made to:
SIMBAHANG LINGKOD NG BAYAN (Account Name/Payee)
Bank of the Philippine Islands (Loyola-Katipunan Branch)
Peso Checking Account Number: 3081-1111-61
Dollar Savings Account Number: 3084-0420-12

Or channel to:

Simbahang Lingkod ng Bayan
Loyola House of Studies
Ateneo de Manila University
Loyola Heights 1108, Quezon City

Contact Information:
Landline : 426-6101 loc. 3440/3441
Telefax : 426-5968
Mobile : 0922-8600-752 (SUN-8600-SLB)
Web : www.slb.ph

Look for : Ms. Marj Tejada

For proper acknowledgement:

Please fax a copy of the validated deposit slip to SLB through telefax 426-5986

Kindly indicate contact information: Name, address, email, landline/mobile

Those who wish to be anonymous may skip this procedure

FOR GCASH TRANSACTION:
1. Any Globe or TM subscribers should be registered first in Gcash before doing any Gcash transaction.

2. To register, just text the syntax
REG_4 digit M-PIN/mother's maiden name/first name/last name/address and send to 2882
Ex: REG 1234/Getino/Liwanag/Ferdinand/766 Metrica St. Sampaloc Manila and send to 2882

3. When the subs already done with cash in, he may now able to do donate or any Gcash transaction he wanted

To Donate: Just text the syntax
DONATE_AMOUNT_4 digit M-PIN_INSTITUTION CODE and send to 2882
Ex. DONATE 100 1234 SLB and send to 2882

BRO. ISMAEL JOSE CHAN-GONZAGA, S.J.
Executive Director
Simbahang Lingkod ng Bayan

MR. ADEL BRIONES
Associate Director, CCS
Ateneo School of Government
Convenor, ADMU DREAM TEAM

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UPDATES! Task Force Noah: Typhoon Frank

Last Friday, July 4, at 9:00 a.m., three 6x6 trucks and fourteen soldiers from the Philippine Air Force arrived at the Cervini Residence Hall inside the Ateneo de Manila campus to pick up and transport relief goods for the victims of Typhoon Frank. Three representatives of Task Force Noah led by Bro. IJ Chan-Gonzaga, SJ, the director of Simbahang Lingkod ng Bayan (SLB), accompanied these goods as they were airlifted to Iloilo City. The other two representatives were Mr. Ninoy Balgos and Mr. Ed Lanado of OSCI. Together with them were four volunteer psychologists of SLB’s Sikolohiyang Lingkod Alay sa Bayan (SiLaBan) led by Ms. Lyra Versoza and Fr. Ted Gonzales, SJ. The psychologists’ task was to assess what could be done in the area and begin psycho-social interventions and post-disaster trauma counseling.

It was around 1:30 in the afternoon when a C130 cargo plane took off from Villamor Airbase with the relief goods and the volunteers. They touched down at the new Iloilo International Airport two hours later. Four hauling trucks borrowed by Ateneo de Iloilo (ADI) were waiting for them at the airport. By 4:30 p.m., the team arrived at the ADI campus where students, teachers, alumni, and parents were ready to help unload and sort out the donations in preparation for delivery the next day.

July 5, “mission day,” began at 6:00 a.m. with the Eucharist celebrated by Fr. Manny Uy, SJ, Director of ADI. By 7:30 a.m., the volunteers left ADI with more than 360 pre-packed sacks of assorted goods. Each sack was good for a family of five. Boxes containing unsorted clothes and food that was ready to be eaten were also loaded. The mission team arrived at the first drop-off point, the San Rafael Archangel Parish in Balete, Aklan, at around 11:30 a.m. Fr. Allan Sta. Maria, the parish priest and head of the Social Action Center for the Diocese of Kalibo greeted the mission team.

By 12:00 noon, the convoy reached the bishop’s residence in Kalibo, Aklan. The sight that met the volunteers was staggering. Major thoroughfares were still inundated. The plaza was in ruins and covered with mud. Safe drinking water was scarce, and typhoid outbreaks threatened the city. Kalibo’s situation was much worse than Iloilo City. Inside the cathedral, the highest part of the city, marriage contracts, baptismal records, and other church documents were damaged by waist-high waters. From there, the team went to Ibajay and then to San Jose, Antique bringing relief goods to people who greatly appreciated the assistance.

Four provinces (Iloilo, Capiz, Aklan, and Antique) and fourteen hours later, the team finally completed its mission. Still, there is much left to be done. The mission team met with a lot of destruction, but they also found hope. Task Force Noah continues its appeal for more compassion for the people of Panay.