Blog Brigade For Ondoy Victims

Last Saturday, residents in Manila and other parts of Luzon fell victims to the wrath of Typhoon Ondoy. We were luckier down south because despite the frequent rains, we were spared from the disastrous fury of Ondoy. We just prayed for others' safety and strength during these trying times.

According to the news, something similar  happened in Manila in 1967 so it doesn't really happen in a long time. Viewing the footages on TV, we gasped how people were floating helplessly in the strong flow of currents while vehicles floated uncontrollably in the streets, bumping into one another or were submerged completely. The rescue did not come easy because of the difficulty to brave the enraged stream of water practically drowning an entire city.  Diabetic patients had blood sugars fluctuating due to starvation, grandparents were suffering from arthritis attacks due to the cold weather, babies and small children were crying everywhere, and pregnant mothers went on early labor. Most of them stuck at some roof. Cold, starving and helpless. To date,  while plenty have been rescued, the death toll just keeps rising.

Beyond the superficial pleasures and vanity, these events give us renewed perspective of life. No amount of beauty, money or intelligence can save you from nature's wrath. We suddenly realize how important our lives (that we oftentimes waste) are.

After the rain stops, when everyone is settled, we can look back and re-examine what we did to trigger mother nature's violent response. Hopefully, we can learn a valuable lesson here and make the necessary actions to avoid future mishaps. For now, let us quit pointing fingers and stop judging like people deserved their fate. All of us are vulnerable and no one is invincible as some may think they are. Let us do whatever we can to help, shall we?

For ways on how to help, please refer to this handy resource guide prepared by volunteers. This has been passed on and retweeted to help mobilize more help: ONDOY Manila.  Emergency medical assistance and help hotlines are available. We're calling all beautiful souls to heed the calls of our fellowmen who were victims of the flood. If you have a blog, facebook or twitter, please pass on this information. Whether you're nearby Manila or in some other place, you can do something. Online donations are also possible. Personally, I had it  through the Red Cross donation. Please check out these links and be an angel for others.