going to Manila

You may have seen the news reports about a recent Typhoon in our region. Well, my employer has decided to respond to this need and I was selected as one of three from the organization to be deployed. I found out last night that I was going and I will be on an airplane tomorrow morning (Friday morning my time).

In case you haven't seen the news reports here is the most recent report from
CNN:

The worst-hit country, the Philippines, began the slow process of clearing up mud and debris Wednesday. Even as they did so, Filipinos kept their eyes peeled on another storm looming in the Pacific Ocean. In the city of Pasig -- part of metropolitan Manila -- enterprising residents used inflatable mattresses as makeshift boats to ferry people through flooded streets. The government, which some people said did not act quickly enough, opened up part of the presidential palace for aid distribution. Ketsana left at least 246 people dead as it passed over the Philippines. Another 38 people were still missing, the National Disaster Coordinating Council said. The storm affected nearly 2 million people and forced the evacuation of 567,000. At one point, 80 percent of the capital Manila was under water after experiencing the heaviest rainfall in 40 years. As the death toll rose, so did the collective grief. "I did not know what happened," said Gingerly Comprendio. "We were on top of a roof. We got separated. The next day when I came back to our house, I saw my eldest already dead and my aunt saw my other child buried in the mud." Ray Lee, a prominent judge, single-handedly saved 32 people using his jet ski. "There were cries for help, so I returned to other houses or roofs and retrieved
all the people there," he said. To help avoid a humanitarian catastrophe,
several nations have rallied to the Philippines' side.

To read the rest of the article, click here.
Irin News also has a good article on the need, to read that article click here.

I've never been part of disaster response before. I've never been to the Philippines. I imagine I will be living on adrenaline in coming weeks. I'll keep you posted as I am able.