Empire State lights up, mirrors PH flag colors for Haiyan victims

LIGHTS AGAINST ADVERSITY. The Empire State Building lights up as the Philippine flag to bring awareness of Haiyan to more New Yorkers. Photo by Michael Josh Villanueva/Rappler

MANILA, Philippines - With many people's eyes focused on the Philippines in the week after TyphoonYolanda (Haiyan) hit parts of the country, some people in New York may also be looking at another towering entity supporting the Haiyan effort from afar: the Empire State Building.

A famous New York tourist destination, the skyscraper is an icon of popular culture due to its appearance in many movies over the years.

The Empire State Building's LED tower lights are often lit to commemorate "key milestones, events, charitable organizations, countries, and holidays throughout the world." It held the first of two evenings of Philippine-inspired tower lightings to show solidarity with the country after the onslaught of the typhoon.

In a tweet, it was hoped that the lighting would "raise awareness" about the Haiyan tragedy.

Sunday, November 16, will be the last day for New Yorkers to see the special display of the Philippine flag's colors – red, blue, yellow, and white.

Rappler's Michael Josh Villanueva was in New York during the evening of the first show and tweeted a picture of the lights from below.

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HELP ‘YOLANDA’ VICTIMS

A boy who was wounded by flying debris due to Super Typhoon Haiyan stays at the ruins of his family’s house in Tacloban city November 10, 2013. Haiyan, one of the most powerful storms ever recorded was believe to have killed at least 10,000 people in central Philippines province of Leyte, a senior police official said on Sunday, with coastal towns and the regional capital devastated by huge waves. Super typhoon Haiyan destroyed about 70 to 80 percent of the area in its path as it tore through the province on Friday, said chief superintendent Elmer Soria, a regional police director. REUTERS/Erik De Castro

List of businesses accepting donations for ‘Yolanda’ victims

Want to help? Here’s a list of organizations and businesses that accept donations on behalf of the victims of super typhoon ‘Yolanda’.

Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD)
Location: NAIA Chapel Road, Pasay City (at the back of CAAP)
DSWD accepts cash deposits through their Landbank of the Philippines account
The account numbers: Current-3122-1011-84 Savings-3124-0055-81
If you wish to volunteer in repacking relief goods you may call 8512681 for schedule.

The Philippine Red Cross
You may donate through SMS by texting RED and send it to 2899 for Globe and 4143 for Smart. You can donate the following denominations: Globe: 5, 25, 100, 300, 500 or 1000 and for Smart: 10, 25, 50, 100, 300, 500 or 1000

For cash deposits:

Banco De Oro
Peso: 00-453-0018647
Dollar: 10-453-0039482
Swift Code: BNORPHMM

Metrobank
Peso: 151-3-041631228
Dollar: 151-2-15100218-2
Swift Code: MBTCPHMM

Philippine National Bank
Peso: 3752 8350 0034
Dollar: 3752 8350 0042
Swift Code: PNBMPHMM

Unionbank of the Philippines
Peso: 1015 4000 0201
Dollar: 1315 4000 0090
Swift code: UBPHPHMM

For in-kind donation you may send it to Philippine Red Cross – National Headquarters in Manila. You may also contact them to arrange donation pick-up.
World Food Programme Philippines

They accept donations via credit card or Pay Pal.

Operation Walang Iwanan – Gawad Kalinga
They accept cash donations only at their Philippine Peso Current Account number-3101 0977 56 BPI EDSA Greenhills and US$ Savings Account number-3104 0162 34
* BPI EDSA Greenhills. Their swift code is BOPIPHMM

Caritas Filipinas Foundation is accepting donations online. You may visit their website at http://ushare.unionbankph.com/caritasfilipinas/

Ayala Foundation also accepts donations online. You may visit http://victoryplatform.everynation.org.ph/victorygiveviacreditcard/giveviacreditcard.aspx or http://victoryplatform.everynation.org.ph/giveviabpi/giveviabpi.aspx

Victory also accepts in-kind and cash donations. They suggest that the items that should be prioritized are instant noodles, canned goods, bottled water, biscuits, coffee, mats and blankets.

* For cash donations they have Bank of the Philippine Islands. The name of the account is Victory Christian Fellowship. The account number for savings is 0063-3205-52. If the address is needed address it to the Fort Serendra Branch, Ground Floor, Serendra, BGC, Taguig City, Philippines. The Swift code is BOPIPHMM.

Cebu Provincial Government also calls for volunteers to repack relief goods for Northern Cebu, Leyte and Bohol victims. For those who are interested you may contact Evelyn Senajon at PSWDO, Ground Floor Executive Bldg., Cebu Provincial Capitol at 254-7198 and 254-8397.

For students who wish to donate yet they do not have time to travel due to their busy schedule, some schools are accepting donations. These are the following:

University of the Philippines System
UP Office of the Student Regent are accepting donations in cash or kind.
Their drop off pointis Vinzon’s Hall, UP Diliman, Quezon City. You may contact Alex Castro at 0917-8725396 or tweet him at @uscupdiliman, Eds 0927384-1392 and Zie 0916796-5740.

Ateneo De Manila Disaster Response and Management Team
Ateneo is accepting cash donations. You may visit their website for donations.

St. Scholastica’s College also accepts donations in any form. You send your donation at 2560 Leon Guinto St. Manila. You may also deposit at BDO account number 4580-000-210 and name it after St. Scholastica’s College Manila.

De La Salle College of St. Benilde
They will conduct a “Yakap Mo Yakap Ko Benefit Concert.”The entrance fee is P300. They will accept donations during the event on November 22 at 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.

Mapua Institute of Technology accepts relief goods. You may send it at 333 333 Gil Puyat Avenue Makati City.
Some restaurants are also donating for the victims of Yolanda for every food purchase.

Zark’s Burger which is located at Taft near De La Salle University is donating P20 for every order of their Jawbreaker burger.

Yabu: House of Katsu will hold a “Dine for A Cause” event on November 13. All 100 percent of their profit will be donated to the affected families in the recent calamity.

Fast food chain Mc Donald’s is also accepting donations in all Manila branches until November 15.

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Storm Haiyan (Yolanda) Update: Fatalities Jump to 56, Victims Mostly from Leyte

As expected, the fatalities in Friday's super typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda) battering the Philippines yielded more deaths higher than the previous day's three victims. Although the reports are unofficial, GMA News witnessed the death count rise in Tacloban City and Palo town in Leyte is 53, bringing to 56 the total death toll caused by the strongest typhoon to hit the world in 2013.

View Full Image

REUTERS
Typhoon Haiyan is pictured in this NOAA satellite handout image taken November 6, 2013 at 23:13 UTC. The Philippines evacuated coastal areas and put emergency workers on alert on Wednesday as a storm expected to grow into a super typhoon headed towards central islands still recovering from a 7.2 magnitude earthquake that hit last month. REUTERS/NOAA/Handout via Reuters

YouTube/GMA News

GMA reporter Jiggy Manicad recounted that from their coastal post in Tacloban City, 11 people, including a child, were washed away by the raging sea. He described the 200 kph winds that whipped the area as like the news team were inside a washing machine.

On his way to link up with another GMA reporter, Love Anover, in Palo, they saw dead bodies by the roadside, counting at least 10 corpses and another 12 in a church near Tacloban.

Mr Manicad also said another 20 people were washed ashore while lined up in a pier.

Ms Anover sought shelter in a church in Palo where at least 20 bodies washed up on the shore were brought. The problem is compounded by funeral parlors in the town had also been destroyed by Yolanda's wrath.

Officially, the latest report of the Philippine National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council dated Nov 8, Friday, listed three dead people, identified as Bing Guiamelon Ukoman, 1-year-old Datu Puti Ukoman and 8-year-old Baby Doren.

Meanwhile, reports from Twitter said that 80 per cent of Baco, Oriental Mindoro is inundated and the rice fields have been destroyed.

DZMM placed the number of stranded passenger as of 4 am of Saturday at 3,398 from 76 vessels and 8 motor bancas.

ABS-CBN reported that the Bucayao River in Calapan has started to overflow and the raging water is on its way to Poblacion.

GMA added that telecommunication companies had deployed repair crews to the affected provinces.

Latest report from the weather bureau said that Yolanda is expected to leave the Philippine Area of Responsibility by 2 pm, Saturday, to exit 760 km west of Iba, Zambales by evening.

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SUPER TYPHOON YOLANDA

The most powerful tropical cyclone of the year hit the Philippines on November 8, 2013. Super typhoon Yolanda (International codename: Haiyan) barreled through most of the Visayas, leaving a trail of devastation in its wake. This page puts together Rappler's full coverage of the impact of the typhoon as well as response and relief efforts by government, the private sector, civil society and international and local humanitarian organizations. In the coming weeks and months this page will also follow efforts to help affected communities recover from the ravages of this disaster.

145,641 people evacuate as Yolanda hits PH

Typhoon Haiyan hits the Philippines in this weather satellite image, courtesy of the Japan Meteorological Agency, taken at 0230 UTC November 8, 2013. Haiyan, potentially the strongest recorded typhoon to make landfall, slammed into the Philippines’ central islands on Friday, forcing millions of people to flee to safer ground or take refuge in storm shelters. The category-five super typhoon whipped up giant waves as high as 4-5 metres (12-15 feet) that lashed the islands of Leyte and Samar, and was on track to carve a path through popular holiday destinations. REUTERS/Japan Meteorological Agency/MTSAT

More than 26,000 families or 145,641 people have already been evacuated in 581 evacuation centers in Mimaropa, Bicol, Western Visayas, Central Visayas, Eastern Visayas, Northern Mindanao, Davao, and Caraga regions as typhoon Yolanda (international name: Haiyan) makes its landfall, according to the latest data released by the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) as of noon of Friday, Nov. 8.

Meanwhile, a total of 2,087 passengers, 50 vessels, 557 rolling cargoes, and 54 motorbancas were stranded in Batangas, Lucena town in Quezon province, Romblon, Albay, Sorsogon, Masbate, Bacolod, Ilo-ilo, Cebu, Maasin City, and Catbalogan City.

According to NDRRMC’s “Situation Report No. 5 Effects of Typhoon Yolanda,” the typhoon has already made its landfall over Guiuan, Eastern Samar and is expected to be at 240km West Northwest of Coron, Palawan on Saturday morning and outside the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) on Sunday afternoon.

After hitting Eastern Samar, the typhoon is expected to traverse the provinces of Biliran, Northern tip of Cebu, Ilo-ilo, Capiz, Aklan, Romblon, Semirara Island, and the Southern part of Mindoro.

“Yolanda,” which has a maximum sustained winds of 235kph and gustiness of 275kph, moves West Northwest at 39kph.

Estimated rainfall amount, NDRRMC said, is at 10-30 mm per hour, classified as heavy-intense.

Classes have already been suspended in different levels in Metro Manila, Mimaropa, Bicol, Western Visayas, Central Visayas, Eastern Visayas, Northern Mindanao, Davao, and Caraga regions.

Work in all government offices in Camarines Sur, catanduanes, Ilo-ilo City, Ilo-ilo province, Guimaras, and Antique have also been suspended.

NDRRMC reported that power interruption has already been experienced in Mimaropa and Eastern Visayas since Thursday.

To date, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has already prepositioned a total of P169.353 million consisting of standby funds (P53.24 million), family food packs (P19.91 million), and other foold supplies (P96.2 million).

A total of P2.7 million worth of relief assistance have already been provided to the victims in Albay and Masbate.

Around 100 cavans of rice and canned goods were also prepositioned in Oriental Mindoro.

Flights from Manila to Bacolod, Tagbilaran, General Santos City, and Ilo-ilo and vice versa have already been cancelled.

The Department of Health has also prepositioned P3.325 million worth of assorted drugs and medicines in Western Visayas (P1.147 million), Central Visayas (P773,668), and Eastern Visayas (P1.404million).

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