HELP RED CROSS AND UNICEF HELP VICTIMS OF NATURAL DISASTERS

nancyk58 · November 13, 2009

UPDATES OF THE SITUATION IN SOUTHEAST ASIA ON 13 NOVEMBER 2009

THE PHILIPPINES

390 FAMILIES IN ALBAY EVACUATED DUE TO MAYON 'THREAT'

(11/13/2009 | 08:57 AM - GMA News.TV)

At least 390 families in Albay province in Bicol were preemptively evacuated amid increased activity at Mayon Volcano.

Radio dzRH reported that the 390 families, or 1,665 people, from two villages in Daraga town were brought to the Daraga Supermarket for temporary shelter.

The report said the town's local officials will meet Friday with the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) to discuss the activity of the volcano.

Earlier, Phivolcs advised residents to take precautions as Mayon spewed ash into the air before dawn last Wednesday.

Phivolcs head Renato Solidum Jr. said residents should clean their surroundings after an ash fall as the ash poses a health hazard.

"We have to remind our residents that ash poses a health hazard. Avoid the ash when possible. In case of an ash fall, close your windows if you are indoors. If outdoors, cover your nose with a handkerchief or a damp cloth", Solidum said in an interview on dzBB radio.

He said ash fall remains possible even when Mayon is still under Alert Level 2. Phivolcs placed Mayon under Alert Level 2 last July 10.

Solidum also advised residents to remove the ash from streets in their surroundings immediately after an ash fall, or at least pour water on them so the ash particles will not fly.

On Wednesday, Mayon spewed ash more than a kilometer into the air but Phivolcs said there was no basis to raise the alert level for the volcano.

In the meantime, Solidum said Phivolcs continues to keep watch over Mayon, particularly for a possible magmatic eruption.

"We do not see a magmatic eruption soon but neither can we discount it at this time. It is always possible that volcanic activity will continue," he said.

He advised residents in the area to continue observing the 6-km permanent danger zone around the volcano, and the 7-km extended danger zone in the Legazpi City-Daraga area.

GMANews.TV

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INDONESIA:

REBUILDING LIVES AND BUILDINGS IN THE AFTERMATH OF WEST SUMATRA’s EARTHQUAKE

http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/indonesia_51580.html

By Lely Djuhari

PARIAMAN, Indonesia, 29 October, 2009 – It was the sudden, eerie stillness at her family’s small paddy field that gave Cici Yuhendri, age 11, an impending sense of catastrophe. The usual cacophony of the birds disappeared minutes before an earthquake measuring 7.6 on the Richter-scale devastated her home in Indonesia’s West Sumatra Province.

“The earth beneath me shook from side to side,” she recalled. “Then, it jolted up and down; my knees buckled and all I could do was to collapse and whisper my prayers.”

Cici dropped her stick, which she used for shooing away the birds feasting on the harvest-ready rice plants. She fell to the ground and clung to a clump of golden yellow stalks.

HOMES DESTROYED

When the quake subsided she called out to her older sister and raced back to their home – to their dismay, it had been levelled. Her mother and father, however, were safe. Her baby brother spent the next few nights refusing to leave his mother’s arms.

Less than a week after the earthquake, Cici rejoined her friends at the local junior high school where now they are able to share experiences and comfort each other. Many children have expressed their fears for the future—of more earthquakes, more building collapses and the inability to rebuild their lives.

To assist children in their recovery UNICEF and the Department of Social Affairs that has set up a joint Child Protection secretariat.

“Children are resilient (robust). With the right support from their families and communities, it is amazing how they can cope,” said UNICEF Representative in Indonesia Angela Kearney.

INTENSIVE TRAINING

Intensive training is being provided to teachers and social workers on how to recognize psychosocial needs and provide support.

According to official figures from the government’s National Disaster Management Agency, more than a thousand people died following the 30 September earthquake. But an important aspect of work now is to support those who survived.Many children have lost parents or have been taken into the care of relatives, friends and neighbours. Others are known to have left the area after the quake. However, the government estimates that more than one million people were affected by the earthquake, of which one-third are believed to be children. Helping them live through the coming weeks and months is a priority for UNICEF.

SUPPORTIVE TEACHERS

“My teachers were very kind and told me not to worry. Without them, I wouldn’t have come back to school. They are very supportive and told us to talk to our friends as much as we want; about anything,” Cici said.

“My mathematics homework was just lying there in the dark last night. This stuff about the mean, modus and averages used to be so easy but now it is just flying about in my head.”

Apart from the social worker and teacher networks, UNICEF is also supporting an Indonesian faith-based foundation, Muhammadiyah, with tents, educational toys, books and games. Nine children’s centres have already been established in Pariaman and three other districts affected by the quake.

RAPID ASSESSMENT

In the child-friendly spaces, children have the opportunity to play games, sing, dance and painting, all of which will help them to reduce feelings of isolation. The centres’ activities are also designed to help trained workers to identify those children showing signs of more serious distress, so that they can be provided with more specific support.

UNICEF has also supported the Ministry of Social Affairs to undertake a rapid assessment of broader child protection concerns in Padang City, Pariaman City and Pariaman District, which found that there is currently no evidence of family separation, movement of children to other locations or trafficking. That is certainly good news, but the task of helping children rebuild their lives after the West Sumatra earthquake remains at the forefront of UNICEF’s activities.

BREASTFEEDING ENCOURAGED FOR QUAKE-AFFECTED INDONESIAN MOTHERS

By Lely Djuhari

PADANG, Indonesia, 4 November 2009 – The stacks of formula milk in a former ballroom in the city of Padang, West Sumatra, had to be quickly removed. Though generosity motivated local companies to donate these supplies in response to the 30 September earthquake here, such donations could have proved fatal.

In a crisis such as this, continued breastfeeding for infants is a far safer alternative to milk substitutes, which can be mixed with contaminated water and cause serious diarrhoeal disease.

BREASTFEEDING REMINDERS

Working closely with the Ministry of Health after the disaster struck, UNICEF quickly called local and national radio stations, asking them to broadcast requests to stop milk-substitute donations. Volunteers from a partner organization reminded mothers at temporary shelters not to stop breastfeeding.

The result of these appeals – including a ban on the direct distribution of formula milk to survivors’ babies – was largely positive.

“In disasters, given the likelihood of poorer environmental conditions such as the lower availability of safe water, it is crucial for mothers to continue breastfeeding their children instead of resorting to formula milk,” said UNICEF Representative in Indonesia Angela Kearney.

INFANT FEEDING IN EMERGENCIES

The day after the earthquake, UNICEF distributed information on infant feeding in emergencies to humanitarian communities and local authorities. This material was used by Muhammadiyah, Indonesia’s second biggest faith-based organization, which had sent volunteers to distribute aid in a remote village in Agam District.When these volunteers approached Desi Fitria, who was eight-months pregnant at the time, she expressed apprehension about delivering her baby at the end of October.

“The health centre I used to go to is completely destroyed. I may have to go to the one about two hours away,” she said.

Despite such worries, she seemed relieved after listening to the volunteers’ advice - that breastfeeding in the first hour after birth, and exclusive breastfeeding during the first six months, would provide her baby with critical antibodies and nutrition for a healthy start in life.

“It’s so much easier to breastfeed. I don’t have to worry about boiling water and cleaning cups, teats or bottles from there,” she said, pointing to the lake that she and others at a temporary shelter were using as a water source.

DANGEROUS AID

Previous experiences in Indonesia have shown that infant formula and powdered milk are common donations during emergencies. Unfortunately, these products are often distributed in an uncontrolled manner and consumed by infants and children who would otherwise be breastfed.

Results of a UNICEF assessment carried out one month after the Yogyakarta earthquake in 2006 indicated that three out of four families with children under six months old had received donations of infant formula. This led to an increase in infant formula consumption from 32 per cent before the earthquake to 43 per cent afterwards.

The rate of diarrhoea amongst infants less than six months old who received donations of infant formula were twice that of those who did not. On average, the rate of diarrhoea amongst children between six months and 23 months was five times the pre-earthquake rate.

Such statistics underscore the importance of teaching continued breastfeeding during and after emergencies.

GUARANTEEING HEALTH AND GROWTH

Exclusive breast-feeding for the first six months of an infant's life followed by continued breastfeeding – with the appropriate supplementation – until the age of two is the single most effective means of guaranteeing infants’ health and growth.

Infants who are breastfed in their early childhood grow to be bigger, stronger and better educated than those who are not.

With campaigns to socialize the practice of breastfeeding by mothers of young infants being intensified throughout the country, communities facing sudden emergencies and natural disasters are becoming increasingly prepared to care for their infants under these stressful conditions.

http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/indonesia_51629.html

nancyk58 · November 16, 2009

I have not posted on the humanitarian threads during the past week-end simply because I couldn't find relief work-related news to report on Unicef's, Red Cross' or GMA News.TV's websites. NANCY / nancyk58

UPDATES OF THE SITUATION IN SOUTHEAST ASIA ON 16 NOVEMBER 2009

The latest news from UNICEF's Press Centre (UNICEF)

Future generations in jeopardy unless urgent efforts are made to tackle undernutrition

UNICEF Deputy Executive Director calls for immediate action to tackle food shortages in areas of Southern Sudan

Statement by UNICEF Regional Director about the escalation in Northern Yemen

UNICEF Executive Director raises child health and child rights in Mali

UNICEF to mark the 20th Anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child

EDUCATION PROVIDES A FUTURE FOR CHILDREN IN EARTHQUAKE-AFFECTED PAKISTAN

(By Jasmine Pittenger - http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/pakistan_46013.html )

MUZAFFARABAD, Pakistan, 5 November 2009 – The earthquake that devastated this region in 2005 was a catastrophe for schoolchildren in Pakistan. An estimated 17,000 students were killed in their classrooms, and 6,000 schools damaged or destroyed.

For teachers and students, the events of that October morning are burned into their memories.

“We were taking our tests when everything started shaking,” recalls Iqura Rehman, 10. “The teacher said, ‘Run,’ so we ran. We weren’t able to understand what was happening.... We thought that everything was finished.”

UNICEF supplied a temporary school in a tent was pitched amidst the destruction. Within a month, classes resumed. Still, parents hesitated to send their children to school.

“So many children lost their lives in schools, it was not easy to convince parents to send them back,” says teacher Nabila Kiani. “We teachers went from house-to-house to ask parents to send their children back to school.”

THE NEW SCHOOL

Now, with help from UNICEF, girls in a quake-affected migrant village have a new school. The Mohajir Colony Government Girls’ School is one of 100 schools built by UNICEF as of last month, with 186 more due to be completed by the end of 2010. Nearly every day during the school's construction, young girls would travel down the narrow path to peek into a window and imagine what was to come.

“When they were building our new school, we were already happy and excited,” says fourth-grader Zeenat Ghutam, 10. “We knew it was for us, but we weren’t expecting it to be so beautiful. On the first day of school, a month ago, I had a feeling I don’t have words for. How can I explain what it’s like to walk into a school that’s more beautiful than our own homes?”

IMPORTANT ROLE FOR TEACHERS

Rehabilitation became an opportunity to ‘build back better.’ This means that the 286 new schools being built with UNICEF support are earthquake-safe. “We’re not scared now because this is a new building, not like our old school, and we know it’s earthquake-safe,” says fourth-grader Shazia Ali Lone. Teachers have played an important role in helping the government, with UNICEF assistance, to re-enrol about 428,000 children, including over 186,000 girls. The enrolment drive includes 36,000 children who were out of school prior to the earthquake.

“My mother helps me with my homework,” says Zeenat. “She can only do this because she went to school. To educate a girl is to educate a whole family. We know that women doctors are much needed in our country.”

BUILDING A STABLE FUTURE

The new schools are spacious, with at least one square metre of classroom space per child. They promote good hygiene through sanitary toilets and handwashing stations. Teachers are trained in child-friendly methods to support and empower children and are prohibited from using corporal punishment.

School tents and emergency supplies such as School-in-a-Box kits, blackboards, recreational kits, furniture and textbooks were also provided.

“EDUCATED WOMEN are far more likely to have EDUCATED CHILDREN,” says UNICEF Deputy Representative in Pakistan Luc Chauvin. “WOMEN WITH ACTIVE VOICES IN THEIR FAMILY's ECONOMIC LIVES are better at ensuring that the family’s resources go toward building a more stable future. We also know that women with at least a basic education are proven to have FEWER, HEALTHIER and BETTER-NOURISHED CHILDREN.”

RELATED (NOT NEW) STORIES from http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/pakistan_ xxxx.html

'Building back better' for students in earthquake-affected Pakistan

By Solmaz Dabiri - SHATAY VILLAGE, Pakistan, 17 October 2008

(http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/pakistan_46013.html)

Sabnan’s story: Support for the most vulnerable in Pakistan quake aftermath

By Antonia Paradela - BALOCHISTAN, Pakistan, 31 October 2008

A model school for girls and boys is building back after Pakistan floods By Fatima Raja - BALOCHISTAN, Pakistan, 3 October 2007

nancyk58 · November 17, 2009

UPDATES OF THE SITUATION IN SOUTHEAST ASIA ON 17 NOVEMBER 2009

PHILIPPINE FIRMS PREPARE FOR THE NEXT 'ONDOY' AND 'PEPENG'

(11/17/2009 | 07:04 PM - GMA News.TV)

The devastation caused by typhoons Ondoy and Pepeng prompted listed companies to ramp up their allocation for disaster recovery program.

At a briefing at the Philippine Stock Exchange on Tuesday, company officials cited measures such as ensuring that all operating units have adequate power supply even during period of prolonged power outage and activating emergency responses during calamities.

Officials of Manila Water Co. Inc., SM Investments Corp., San Miguel Pure Foods Inc. and Robinsons Land Corp. admitted that their operations and businesses were affected by the destructive weather disturbances.

Pure Foods, according to company president Francisco Alejo III, had suffered damages of goods and property worth P1.5 billion.

“Calamities have to be factored in," Alejo said.

Most of the damage were on the company's plant in Marikina City, where Pure Foods kept stocks of processed meat products, and its warehouse in Pasig City.

Despite this, Alejo said most of the damages were covered by insurance.

Meanwhile, SM Investments had to do some “engineering changes" such as placing their power sources on the upper portion of the building.

“We have old and new malls. In the past, power sources are in the basement," said Cora Guidote, SM Investments vice president for investor relations

Two SM malls were affected by the flooding – SM Centerpoint in Sta. Mesa, Manila and SM Rosales in Pangasinan. SM has network of 35 malls and 111 stores in the country.

Because the two SM malls had to be temporarily closed for rehabilitation, some 6,200 workers are also presently out of work.

Guidote said SM was committed to expedite the rehabilitation of the malls within two months to help their displaced workers.

Henry Yap, RLC general manager, said that because of the calamities, his company's building management team's capability is being reviewed and modified according to the needs of their mall and BPO office tenants, mostly run by foreign groups.

Metro East, one of RLC's malls, was flooded on the lower floors.

Owing to the massive flooding, Yap said, Filipinos may begin to favor residing in high-rise buildings.

Frank Beaumont, Manila Water group director, said that before the flooding some of their units had no power generators. After Ondoy and Pepeng, however, the company has ensured that all their units had a minimum three-day standby power supply.

Cheryl M. Arcibal, GMANews.TV

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UNICEF DENMARK - GIFTS FOR CHRISTMAS THAT YOUR FRIENDS DO NOT NEED

Gifts your friends do not need (verdensgaver = world gifts)

17-11-2009 - Skip the traditional Christmas gift / present and give instead a gift that really helps. This is the invitation of UNICEF, which - on Verdensgaver.dk - sells gifts of the sort that your friends do not need.

Mosquito nets and vaccines

On Verdensgaver.dk UNICEF has set a number of its most popular products for sale. However, it is not the classic well-selling articles such as Christmas cards or sweatshirts with the UNICEF logo, but mosquito nets, vaccines and other help / relief articles / items, saving children's lives in developing countries.

Christmas gift

Gifts from Verdensgaver.dk do not take up space under the Christmas tree. UNICEF sends the gift to children needing help. When you buy a World Gift, you will receive a gift certificate, which, for example, you can give as a Christmas gift.

Carefully selected among UNICEF's help / relief articles

World gifts are carefully chosen among the many special items that every day throughout the year, UNICEF sends to children in the world's poorest countries. There is an urgent need for these things, and UNICEF knows from experience that the organization makes a huge difference for the children who receive them.

Gifts / donations save lives

This year, UNICEF sells 23 different World Gifts. You can buy:

Mosquito nets for five families for (the equivalent of ) 179 Danish kroner: They protect children against the malaria mosquito, which is Africa's biggest killer despite its modest size.

120 vaccines for (the equivalent of) 150 Danish kroner: These vaccines protect children against infectious diseases such as polio and measles.

Powder against dehydration for (the equivalent of) 453 Danish kroner: The powder restores the fluid balance of children whose lives are threatened by dehydration due to diarrhoea.

Nutritious (nourishing) nut mixture for (the equivalent of) 261 Danish kroner.

Effective treatment of malnourished children. Three packs a day for a couple of weeks are enough to save a child's life.

View all gifts at Verdensgaver.dk

I was on the internet googling "Unicef gifts" to find some online UNICEF shops in various countries. I not only found that but also found (and saw)

The Gift - a short film from UNICEF UK. It is a dramatisation of a new poem by Simon Armitage, narrated by actress GWYNETH PALTROW.

Watch the film and support our Born Free from HIV campaign to prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV. thegift.unicef.org.uk/

Inspired Gifts Helps Fight HIV: UNICEF's Store Offers Christmas gifts. Inspired Gifts, an online store run by UNICEF, offers Christmas and holiday presents that help fight HIV by supporting the work being done around the world. aidshiv.suite101.com/article.../inspired_gifts_helps_fight_hiv

Shop UNICEF :: U.S. Fund for UNICEF - UNICEF USA

When you purchase UNICEF Cards & Gifts you are doing much more than sending a goodwill gesture. You are making a real difference in the lives of children.

www.unicefusa.org/shop/

UNICEF USA: Inspired Gifts

Since 1947, the US Fund for UNICEF has supported the work of UNICEF by fundraising for its programs and increasing public awareness of the challenges. inspiredgifts.unicefusa.org/

Home | Shop UNICEF Canada

Shop UNICEF · Cards & Gifts · Gifts of Magic · Education Resources ... Learn about UNICEF's work for children and how your support can help us. www.shopunicef.ca/

Gifts of Magic | Shop UNICEF Canada

Learn about UNICEF's work for children and how your support can help us fulfill our mission. Help · Gifts of Magic - http://www.unicefgiftsofmagic.ca/

Cards & Gifts - www.supportunicef.org/catalog/

If your country is not listed below, we are sorry that UNICEF products are not yet available. Click Here to locate your local UNICEF. http://www.supportunicef.org/catalog/

Buy cards and gifts - UNICEF UK - Homepage

www.unicef.org.uk/store/

UNICEF Inspired Gifts | Charity Christmas Cards & Gifts | United.

UNICEF Inspired Gifts virtual charity gifts provide real, life saving and changing items to children and communities throughtout the world.

www.charity-gifts.org/unicef-shop.php

Verdensgaver.dk (Unicef Danmark)

I saw the Gift and it was really good:D - I am glad to see that Gwyneth is supporting this good cause:) - go see it yourself: The GIFT - a short film from UNICEF UK. - a dramatisation of a new poem by Simon Armitage, NARRATED BY actress GWYNETH PALTROW. Watch the film and support our Born Free from HIV campaign to prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV. thegift.unicef.org.uk/

nancyk58 · November 18, 2009

UPDATES OF THE SITUATION IN SOUTHEAST ASIA ON 18 NOVEMBER 2009

Weather forecast for the Philippines today: 23°C to 32°C.

At 2 p.m. Wednesday, a shallow low-pressure area (SLPA) was estimated at 590 km east of Mindanao while a northeast monsoon affects northern Luzon.

nancyk58 · November 18, 2009

Updates of the situation in Southeast Asia on 18 november 2009

http://www.redcross.org/portal/site/en/menuitem.94aae335470e233f6cf911df43181aa0/?vgnextoid=e370f2fa2f305210VgnVCM10000089f0870aRCRD

American Red Cross Launches “Gifts that Save the Day” Holiday Campaign

New survey shows many people will cut holiday activities, but still plan to give to charities

National Headquarters

2025 E Street, N.W.

Washington, DC 20006

http://www.redcross.org

Contact: Public Affairs Desk

FOR MEDIA ONLY

[email protected]

Phone: (202) 303-5551

WASHINGTON, Wednesday, November 18, 2009 — Many people are cutting back on gift-buying, parties and travel this holiday season, but support for charitable giving remains strong as people believe it is more important this year to give to charities because of the economy, according to a new national survey for the American Red Cross.

The Red Cross survey found that many people are tightening their belts this holiday season, with 29 percent cutting back on money spent on holiday gifts; 31 percent planning to spend less for parties this year; 40 percent cutting back on spending for holiday decorations; and 44 percent reducing their travel costs. However, only 20 percent planned cuts in their donations to charity, with 17 percent planning to spend more and 62 percent planning to spend the same.

The findings are all the more remarkable given the fact that the survey, conducted November 5-8, shows nearly one in four (23%) had their salary or hours reduced this year, with 14 percent saying they had been laid off from their job and 41 percent losing money in the stock market.

However, because of the economy, 67 percent say it is more important this year to give something to charity.

The Red Cross announced the survey findings as it kicked off a new “Gifts that Save the Day” holiday giving campaign featuring an online gift catalog and national broadcast, print and online advertising.

“In this season of hope and in these tough economic times, people want their gifts to really matter, and the new Red Cross campaign offers a way for people to give a gift that can save the day for those in need,” said Gail McGovern, president and CEO of the American Red Cross.

Through the online catalog at http://www.redcross.org/gifts, people can make a donation that could provide food and shelter for a disaster victim for a day; a military comfort kit with a robe, phone card and other supplies for a wounded warrior; or a month of basic necessities for a family in another country who lost everything in a disaster.

In addition, the online catalog provides an opportunity for people to give a charitable gift while doing their online shopping. Although retail sales are projected to remain flat this holiday season, online holiday gift-giving is expected to grow by 4 percent.

Gifts made through the catalog are contributions towards a Red Cross program area, not a donation to a specific project or item. The donations will be used to provide assistance where it is needed most within the program area; remaining money is put to use where it is needed most.

“These have been turbulent economic times for the Red Cross and other non-profits, with more and more people seeking help,” said McGovern. “The Red Cross is working very hard to raise money now so the organization can be there tomorrow with help and hope when people need it most.”

A key part of the 2009 Red Cross holiday campaign will be national advertising, including national cable television, in-flight magazines and online advertising urging people to make a donation to the Red Cross.

The television ads, which start November 23, mark the first time since 2003 that the Red Cross has done national television advertising during the holiday giving season. The advertising will support the end-of-year giving campaigns of the Red Cross and of chapters throughout the country.

The Red Cross ads feature photos and images of people being offered comfort and help by the Red Cross after a disaster, when they need life-saving blood or following a local home fire. The ads seek to capture the “Red Cross moment” when people go from despair to hope, and urge people to give the gift that saves the day. The advertising was produced by Russ Reid and the voiceover is by award-winning actor Jimmy Smits, a member of the Red Cross Celebrity Cabinet.

“We know these are difficult times for families and businesses across the country, but the Red Cross has seen that when Americans are in need, America always responds,” said Jeffrey Towers, chief development officer at the Red Cross. “The holiday season is traditionally a time of hope and generosity, and this campaign gives us all a chance to make a difference in someone’s life.”

The telephone survey of 1,001 U.S. adults 18 years and older was conducted November 5-8, 2009 by CARAVAN® Opinion Research Corporation. The margin of error is +/- 3.1 percentage points at the 95% confidence level.

About the American Red Cross:

The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies nearly half of the nation's blood; teaches lifesaving skills; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a charitable organization — not a government agency — and depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit http://www.redcross.org or join our blog at http://blog.redcross.org.

nancyk58 · November 19, 2009

Updates of the situation in Southeast Asia on 19 November 2009

No relevant news on the websites of Red Cross and Unicef or GMA News.TV.

nancyk58 · November 20, 2009

UPDATES OF THE SITUATION IN SOUTHEAST ASIA ON 20 NOVEMBER 2009 – THE PHILIPPINES

GMA News.TV

Weather forecast: (21°C to 33°C). At 2 p.m. Friday, a low-pressure area (LPA) was estimated based on satellite and surface data at 200 km east of Mindanao while a northeast monsoon affects northern Luzon.

PINOYS JOIN RAISE YOUR VOICE CAMPAIGN ON CLIMATE CHANGE

11/20/2009 | 07:37 PM – GMA News.TV

A six-minute amateur video featuring dramatic footage that showed the devastation caused by tropical storm ONDOY is the lone Philippine entry in a YouTube campaign to raise awareness on the issue of climate change.

In a news release, De La Salle University graduates Alfonso Orioste Jr. and Paul Darwynn Garilao said the destruction from the cyclone was the motivation for their decision to join the “Raise Your Voice" campaign.

The contest encourages individuals to send videos containing their views and questions about the United Nations conference on climate change in Copenhagen next month. The campaign is sponsored by CNN, Youtube, and the government of Denmark.

Two winners who will be selected by public voting on YouTube from November 6 to 30 will get a free trip to Copenhagen to attend the landmark conference.

The global gathering will determine new targets for curbing carbon emissions from human activities that scientists have deemed responsible for the earth’s changing weather.

Video entries may also be aired during the CNN/Youtube debates on December 15, one of the many activities during the conference that are meant to draw global attention to the issue.

In their entry, Orioste and Garilao highlighted the disastrous impact of climate change in a developing country – in this case the Philippines – and contrasted the image with initiatives that are underway in rich countries to address the issue.

From Manila, Orioste talked about the need for DISASTER PREPAREDNESS and IMPROVED COMMUNICATION as part of environmental management systems that are necessary to respond to natural calamities more effectively.

“As we have experienced, the storm Ondoy (Ketsana) taught us a lot of lessons. This is a wake-up call for the Philippine government to implement laws and programs on environmental management and disaster preparedness," said Orioste, who is studying law at San Beda.

Meanwhile, from his current work base in Hawaii, Garilao advocated the use of renewable energy such as solar panels and wind turbines as the “best step to combat climate change." An engineer, Garilao has done research on the use of LPG two-stroke engines as an alternative form of clean energy.

To vote for the Philippine entry, visit http://www.youtube.com/cop15 and click the thumbs up sign for the video entitled “Raise Your Voice by Filipino environmental advocates."

Although their entry may not win awards for best editing or script, it is nonetheless a good push for what they call “GREEN EDUCATION" at a time when disasters are increasingly causing massive destruction in the Philippines.

Yasmin D. Arquiza, GMANews.TV

--------------

I really hope for a good result at the Climate summit in Copenhagen in December.

Now North-West England, Scotland and Ireland have experienced floodings too. Overflooded rivers after RECORD REAINFALL, bridges collapsed, and in England a policeman died. Citizens had to be rescued out of their houses by helicopter.

Terrible, but I still think of places like the Philippines having to go through this - at least four times!

nancyk58 · November 21, 2009

UPDATES OF THE SITUATION IN SOUTHEAST ASIA ON 21 NOVEMBER 2009

THE PHILIPPINES

Weather report: (23°C to 33°C). At 2 pm, Saturday, a LOW PRESSURE AREA was estimated based on satellite and surface data at 220 km. EAST OF MINDANAO.

NORTHEAST MONSOON AFFECTING EXTREME NORTHERN LUZON.

LANDSLIDES STILL LOOM OVER MINDANAO AS LPA MOVES AWAY

11/21/2009 | 10:20 AM - GMA News.TV

A LOW PRESSURE AREA - LPA - that threatened to become a cyclone MOVED AWAY FROM EASTERN MINDANAO Saturday, but STILL THREATENED TO TRIGGER LANDSLIDES AND FLASH FLOODS there.

The Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration - PAGASA - said the LPA was spotted 560 KILOMETERS EAST OF MINDANAO at about 2 a.m.

In its 5 a.m. bulletin, Pagasa also said THE NORTHEAST MONSOON WAS AFFECTING EXTREME NORTHERN LUZON.

GMANews.TV

AFTERNOON RAINS DUE TO LPA AND MONSOON, NOT CYCLONE - PAGASA

11/21/2009 | 08:39 PM - GMA News.TV

The RAINS that pelted parts of METRO MANILA Saturday afternoon were not due to a cyclone but to a low-pressure area (LPA) and the NORTHEAST MONSOON, according to the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA).

Due to the LPA and the MONSOON, "PALAWAN, VISAYAS, and MINDANAO will experience cloudy skies with SCATTERED RAIN SHOWERS and THUNDERSTORMS," said Pagasa.

The RAINS will become "WIDESPREAD" over EASTERN MINDANAO, which "may trigger FLASHFLOODS and LANDSLIDES," the weather bureau added in its 5 p.m. bulletin.

MINDANAO should expect OCCASIONAL TO FREQUENT RAINS, particularly the eastern and central portions in the next "two to three days." - Pagasa advised residents in said areas to take all necessary precautionary measures.

Meanwhile, it said MODERATE TO STRONG WINDS blowing from the Northeast would prevail over LUZON, VISAYAS, and EASTERN MINDANAO. Coastal waters along these areas will be moderate to rough.

Elsewhere, winds will be light to moderate coming from the northeast to north with slight to moderate seas except during thunderstorms.

STRONG TO GALE FORCE WINDS are also expected to affect the seaboards of LUZON and VISAYAS.

"Fishing boats and other small sea craft are advised not to venture out into the sea while larger sea vessels are alerted against BIG WAVES," PAGASA said.

GMANews.TV

nancyk58 · November 22, 2009

UPDATE OF THE SITUATION IN SOUTHEAST ASIA ON 22 NOVEMBER 2009

Weather forecast for the Philippines: (23°C to 31°C). At 2 p.m. Sunday, the low pressure area was estimated based on satellite and surface data at 160 kms east of Mindanao. A northeast monsoon meanwhile is affecting extreme northern Luzon.

An interesting article below as the many natural disasters over the last couple of years may have been caused - at least partly - by GLOBAL WARMING !

GLOBAL WARMING's IMPACT WORSENED SINCE 1997 PACT

(11/21/2009 | 12:09 PM – GMA News.TV)

WASHINGTON — Since the 1997 international accord to fight global warming, climate change has worsened and accelerated — beyond some of the grimmest of warnings made back then.

As the world has talked for a dozen years about what to do next, new ship passages opened through the once frozen summer sea ice of the Arctic. In Greenland and Antarctica, ice sheets have lost trillions of tons of ice. Mountain glaciers in Europe, South America, Asia and Africa are shrinking faster than before.

And it's not just the frozen parts of the world that have felt the heat in the dozen years leading up to next month's climate summit in Copenhagen:

— The world's oceans have risen by about an inch and a half.

—Droughts and wildfires have turned more severe worldwide, from the U.S. West to Australia to the Sahel desert of North Africa.

—Species now in trouble because of changing climate include, not just the lumbering polar bear which has become a symbol of global warming, but also fragile butterflies, colorful frogs and entire stands of North American pine forests.

—Temperatures over the past 12 years are 0.4 of a degree warmer than the dozen years leading up to 1997.

Even the gloomiest climate models back in the 1990s didn't forecast results quite this bad so fast.

"The latest science is telling us we are in more trouble than we thought," said Janos Pasztor, climate adviser to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.

And here's why: Since an agreement to reduce greenhouse gas pollution was signed in Kyoto, Japan, in December 1997, the level of carbon dioxide in the air has increased 6.5 percent. Officials from across the world will convene in Copenhagen next month to seek a follow-up pact, one that President Barack Obama says "has immediate operational effect ... an important step forward in the effort to rally the world around a solution." The last effort didn't quite get the anticipated results.

From 1997 to 2008, world carbon dioxide emissions from the burning of fossil fuels have increased 31 percent; U.S. emissions of this greenhouse gas rose 3.7 percent. Emissions from China, now the biggest producer of this pollution, have more than doubled in that time period. When the U.S. Senate balked at the accord and President George W. Bush withdrew from it, that meant that the top three carbon polluters — the U.S., China and India — were not part of the pact's emission reductions. Developing countries were not covered by the Kyoto Protocol and that is a major issue in Copenhagen.

And the effects of greenhouse gases are more powerful and happening sooner than predicted, scientists said.

"Back in 1997, the impacts (of climate change) were underestimated; the rate of change has been faster," said Virginia Burkett, chief scientist for global change research at the U.S. Geological Survey.

That last part alarms former Vice President Al Gore, who helped broker a last-minute deal in Kyoto.

"By far the most serious differences that we've had is an acceleration of the crisis itself," Gore said in an interview this month with The Associated Press.

In 1997, global warming was an issue for climate scientists, environmentalists and policy wonks. Now biologists, lawyers, economists, engineers, insurance analysts, risk managers, disaster professionals, commodity traders, nutritionists, ethicists and even psychologists are working on global warming.

"We've come from a time in 1997 where this was some abstract problem working its way around scientific circles to now when the problem is in everyone's face," said Andrew Weaver, a University of Victoria climate scientist.

The changes in the last 12 years that have the scientists most alarmed are happening in the Arctic with melting summer sea ice and around the world with the loss of key land-based ice masses. It's all happening far faster than predicted.

Back in 1997 "nobody in their wildest expectations," would have forecast the dramatic sudden loss of summer sea ice in the Arctic that started about five years ago, Weaver said. From 1993 to 1997, sea ice would shrink on average in the summer to about 2.7 million square miles. The average for the last five years is less than 2 million square miles. What's been lost is the size of Alaska.

Antarctica had a slight increase in sea ice, mostly because of the cooling effect of the ozone hole, according to the British Antarctic Survey. At the same time, large chunks of ice shelves — adding up to the size of Delaware — came off the Antarctic peninsula.

While melting Arctic ocean ice doesn't raise sea levels, the melting of giant land-based ice sheets and glaciers that drain into the seas do. Those are shrinking dramatically at both poles.

Measurements show that since 2000, Greenland has lost more than 1.5 trillion tons of ice, while Antarctica has lost about 1 trillion tons since 2002, according to two scientific studies published this fall. In multiple reports from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change reports, scientists didn't anticipate ice sheet loss in Antarctica, Weaver said. And the rate of those losses is accelerating, so that Greenland's ice sheets are melting twice as fast now as they were just seven years ago, increasing sea level rise.

Worldwide glaciers are shrinking three times faster than in the 1970s and the average glacier has lost 25 feet of ice since 1997, said Michael Zemp, a researcher at World Glacier Monitoring Service at the University of Zurich.

"Glaciers are a good climate indicator," Zemp said. "What we see is an accelerated loss of ice."

Also, permafrost — the frozen northern ground that oil pipelines are built upon and which traps the potent greenhouse gas methane — is thawing at an alarming rate, Burkett said.

Another new post-1997 impact of global warming has scientists very concerned. The oceans are getting more acidic because more of the carbon dioxide in the air is being absorbed into the water. That causes acidification, an issue that didn't even merit a name until the past few years.

More acidic water harms coral, oysters and plankton and ultimately threatens the ocean food chain, biologists say.

In 1997, "there was no interest in plants and animals" and how they are hampered by climate change, said Stanford University biologist Terry Root. Now scientists are talking about which species can be saved from extinction and which are goners. The polar bear became the first species put on the federal list of threatened species and the small rabbit-like American pika may be joining it.

More than 37 million acres of Canadian and U.S. pine forests have been damaged by beetles that don't die in warmer winters. And in the U.S. West, the average number of acres burned per fire has more than doubled.

The Colorado River reservoirs, major water suppliers for the U.S. West, were nearly full in 1999, but by 2007 half the water was gone after the region endured the worst multiyear drought in 100 years of record-keeping.

Insurance losses and blackouts have soared and experts say global warming is partly to blame. The number of major U.S. weather-related blackouts from 2004-2008 were more than seven times higher than from 1993-1997, said Evan Mills, a staff scientist at the Lawrence Berkeley National Lab.

"The message on the science is that we know a lot more than we did in 1997 and it's all negative," said Eileen Claussen, president of the Pew Center on Global Climate Change. "Things are much worse than the models predicted."

AP

----------------------

IRELAND: I heard the midnight news on the Danish radio. One of the news items was about IRELAND which is BADLY affected by floodings due to flooded rivers, and the seaside towns - among them Ireland’s second largest city CORK - are flooded. CORK city is completely ruined. For 800 years Ireland has not been so badly affected by floodings as now..

England and Scotland are also affected by floodings due to rainfall. And more rain to come!

nancyk58 · November 23, 2009

UPDATES OF THE SITUATION IN SOUTHEAST ASIA

Weather forecast for THE PHILIPPINES (23°C to 32°C)

At 4 p.m. Monday, Tropical Depression 'Urduja' was estimated based on satellite and surface data at 170 km east of Surigao City with maximum winds of 55 kph near the center. It is forecast to move west northwest slowly. Meanwhile, a northeast monsoon affects northern Luzon.

RP, 11 NATIONS VOW TO PROTECT REGION's COASTLINES, MARINE ENVIRONMENT

(Amita O. Legaspi, Gma News.TV - 11/23/2009 | 09:46 PM)

The PHILIPPINES, together with 11 OTHER EAST ASIAN NATIONS, are set to endorse on Thursday a declaration stipulating their commitment to protect the region’s coastline and marine environment.

The so-called Manila Declaration will contain agreements resulting from technical meetings during the 3rd East Asian Seas (EAS) Congress held at the Philippine International Convention Center in Pasay City.

The meetings, which started on Monday, will discuss protection of marine biodiversity, integrated coastal resource management programs, and ways of mitigating climate change, among others.

With the theme “Partnerships at Work: Local Implementation and Good Practices," the congress will highlight the initiatives at the local level and good practices covering a wide area of subjects on coastal and ocean management and how interregional, interagency, and multisectoral partnerships are contributing to regional and international environmental targets.

“[The Manila Declaration] will be binding in a way because it will develop a plan of action. We must protect the richness of our natural resources and our seas," Joselito Atienza, the Philippines’ environment secretary, told reporters at the sidelines of the EAS Congress.

If the coastal areas will not be protected, it is not only the Philippines which will suffer but other countries as well, he said. “So therefore we must act as one," Atienza said.

Besides the Philippines, other countries expected to sign the Manila Declaration are Cambodia, China, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Indonesia, Japan, Republic of Korea, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Singapore, Thailand, Timor Leste, and Vietnam which are all members of Partnerships in Environmental Management for the Seas of East Asia.

The seas of East Asia are made up of six subregional seas which includes East China Sea, Yellow Sea, South China Sea, Sulu-Celebes Seas, Indonesian Seas and Gulf of Thailand.

These bodies of water sustain 30 percent of the world’s coral reefs and mangroves and produce about 40 percent of the world’s fish catch and 84 percent of world’s aquaculture.

They also represent one of the world’s centers for tropical marine biodiversity.

GMANews.TV

-------------------

LATEST NEWS from AMERICAN RED CROSS

(http://www.redcross.org/portal/site/en/menuitem.edd4398600b584f5fef71210c23f78a0/?vgnextoid=23f28d5f8b6de110VgnVCM10000089f0870aRCRD&vgnextfmt=default)

Monday, November 23, 2009 — American Red Cross Elected to International Governing Board American Red Cross and 19 other national societies to serve on the governing board of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.

Monday, November 23, 2009 — Through a Child’s Eyes

Excited children came to the Red Cross to help create Holiday Mail for Heroes holiday cards for service members, veterans and military families.

Friday, November 20, 2009 — Red Cross Responds to Flooding in El Salvador

TROPICAL STORM IDA unleashed HEAVY RAIN, triggering FLOODS and LANDSLIDES that left scores DEAD and MISSING.

Friday, November 20, 2009 — Congress and the Red Cross Team Up to Spread Holiday Joy to Troops Overseas

Congress joined the American Red Cross to sign holiday cards for United States service members, showing appreciation and support.

Friday, November 20, 2009 — Rapid City Red Cross Takes H1N1 Flu Message to the Workplace

People don’t want to miss work; they want to learn know how to protect themselves.

nancyk58 · November 24, 2009

UPDATES OF THE SITUATION IN SOUTHEASTASIA ON 24 NOVEMBER 2009

Today only news from the PHILIPPINES

More than 2,700 stranded due to ‘URDUJA’

(11/24/2009 | 04:23 PM - GMA News.DK)

More than 2,700 passengers in Eastern and Western Visayas, Southern Luzon and Northern Mindanao were stranded due to TROPICAL DEPRESSION "URDUJA," the government said on Tuesday.

The National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC), in its noon report, said those stranded included 1,519 in Eastern Visayas; 719 in Western Visayas; and 399 in Sorsogon province.

Stranded passengers in Southern Tagalog included 10 in Lucena and 25 in San Jose, while those in Sorsogon included 237 in Pilar and 162 in Bulan.

Passengers stranded in Western Visayas included 384 in Bacolod and 335 in Iloilo. Those in Eastern/Central Visayas included 746 in Cebu, 282 in Maasin, 50 in Tagbilaran, 309 in Dumaguete, and 150 in Catbalogan.

Another 19 were stranded in Dapitan in Northern Mindanao.

The NDCC said 99 vehicles and 86 vessels in Southern Luzon, Bicol, Eastern Visayas and Northern Mindanao were also stranded due to the weather disturbance.

A LANDSLIDE occurred 10 a.m. in Guintoylan in Liloan town in SOUTHERN LEYTE, but NO CASUALTIES were reported, according to NDCC.

In Caraga in MINDANAO, Santo Niño, Limaha and Tandang Sora villages in Butuan City were FLOODED.

KK, GMANews.TV

Magnitude-4.2 quake rocks Davao - Phivolcs

(11/24/2009 | 10:28 AM - GMA News.TV)

A magnitude-4.2 quake rocked the Davao area in Mindanao before dawn Tuesday, but state seismologists said there was no initial report of casualty or damage.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said the quake was recorded at 1:54 a.m., with the epicenter 16 km west of Davao City.

Phivolcs said the quake was tectonic and was felt at Intensity II in Davao City and Perez village in Kidapawan City.

It said it did not expect any damage to property or aftershock from the quake.

RSJ, GMANews.TV

On the 17 November 2009 there was another quake at Davao (I am not sure that I found and posted that - so here it is:

Magnitude-5.1 quake hit Davao = 13 days ago; tsunami ruled out

(11/17/2009 | 09:11 AM - GMA News.TV)

A predawn quake rocked parts of Davao Oriental province in Mindanao Tuesday, but state seismologists quickly allayed fears of a tsunami resulting from the tremblor.

Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) director Renato Solidum Jr. said the quake was recorded at magnitude 5.1, which is not enough to cause a tsunami.

Citing initial reports reaching him, he said the epicenter was traced to the sea 62 km south of Mati, Davao Oriental.

He said the quake was felt at Intensity IV in Tarragona in Davao Oriental; Intensity III in Davao City; and Intensity II in Caraga town in Davao Oriental, Polomolok in South Cotabato, and Tagum in Davao del Norte.

Solidum said there were no initial reports of damage to property.

“We do not expect significant damage because the highest intensity was Intensity IV," he said.

On the other hand, the United States Geological Service said the quake was recorded at magnitude 5.2, and recorded at 3:58 a.m.

It traced the epicenter to 95 km east-southeast of Davao, 140 km east-northeast of General Santos City, 185 km south of Hinatuan, or 1,065 km southeast of Manila.

GMANews.TV

nancyk58 · November 25, 2009

UPDATES OF THE SITUATION IN SOUTHEAST ASIA ON 25 NOVEMBER 2009

The PHILIPPINES

Weather forecast (23°C to 32°C). At 2 p.m. Wednesday, a low-pressure area (LPA) was estimated based on satellite and surface data at 350 km east of Surigao while a northeast monsoon affects northern and eastern Luzon.

‘URDUJA’ DISPLACES MORE THAN 400 FAMILIES - NDCC

(11/25/2009 | 07:27 PM - GMA News.TV)

More than 400 FAMILIES were AFFECTED BY the series of LANDSLIDES and FLASH FLOODS that struck EASTERN VISAYAS and NORTHERN MINDANAO due to HEAVY RAINS caused by TROPICAL STORM “URDUJA" since Tuesday, even as the cyclone WEAKENED INTO a LOW-PRESSURE AREA.

In its situation report, the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) said at least 239 families or about 1,054 people were affected in the provinces of Camiguin and Misamis Oriental since November 24.

Meanwhile, the LANDSLIDES that hit Liloan, Southern Leyte have also DISPLACED 52 FAMILIES, according to a GMA News Flash Report.

In northeastern Mindanao’s Caraga region, 10 people were INJURED AFTER a MINOR LANDSLIDE caused their van to fell off a cliff in Surigao City.

The NDCC also said that 148 FAMILIES in 13 villages have been EVACUATED as the Puyo and Celopan RIVERS OVERFLOWED due to the CONTINUOUS RAINS in Butuan City, Agusan del Norte, and Dinagat Islands, although NO CASUALTIES have been reported so far.

Meanwhile, all 11 passengers of a motorbanca (outrigger pump boat), MBCA Lady Coco, including four Germans and one Swiss, have been rescued after their boat sunk in the waters off Limasawa, Southern Leyte on Tuesday.

In its latest update, state weather forecasters warned that FLASH FLOODS and LANDSLIDES still loom over Mindanao even after Urduja weakened into a low-pressure area.

As of 2 p.m., the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said Urduja was spotted 350 kilometers east of Surigao.

"Palawan, Visayas and Mindanao will have cloudy skies with scattered rainshowers and thunderstorms becoming widespread rains over Mindanao, which may trigger flashfloods and landslides," Pagasa said.

Pagasa also said the northeast monsoon is affecting Northern and Eastern Luzon, while the rest of Luzon will be partly cloudy to cloudy with isolated light rains.

Moderate to strong winds blowing from the northeast will prevail over Luzon and coming from the northeast to northwest over the rest of the country, while coastal waters throughout the archipelago will be moderate to rough, the weather bureau said.

Earlier, Pagasa said it is monitoring the POSSIBLE ENTRY OF a NEW TROPICAL STORM, internationally code-named "NIDA." The cyclone may be named "VINTA" once it enters Philippine territory.

Aie Balagtas See/JV, GMANews.TV

6.8 QUAKE HITS NEAR TONGA

November 24, 9:43 AM Reno Headlines Examiner William Robinson

http://www.examiner.com/x-25860-Reno-Headlines-Examiner~y2009m11d24-68-quake-hits-near-Tonga

NUKU’ALOFA, Tonga (AP) — A 6.8-magnitude EARTHQUAKE struck off the Pacific island nation of TONGA, sending panicked residents into the streets at night, but there were NO immediate REPORTS of DAMAGE OR INJURIES.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center reported shortly after the quake struck at 3:32 a.m. (1332 GMT, 8:32 a.m. EST) that there was NO threat of a destructive widespread TSUNAMI, although waves were possible within 100 kilometers (60 miles) of the epicenter.

“There’s no indication of damage right now in this area,” said Faleo Vico, the duty Weather Office staffer in the capital, Nuku’alofa, 120 miles (195 kilometers) southwest of the epicenter.

Residents in the capital said their homes rattled, and the tremors set off frantic barking of dogs.

In the town of Ha’apai, on an island 185 miles (300 kilometers) northeast of the capital, resident Lano Fonua said the quake was strong and lasted about 45 seconds.

“Many people went out into the streets as the quake was shaking the area quite a bit. It was really going,” he said. “We don’t have any reports of major damage here in the center of town.”

The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake was 6.8-magnitude and was generated from a depth of 38 miles (62 kilometers) in the ocean.

On SEPT. 29, a TSUNAMI spawned by a magnitude-8.3 EARTHQUAKE KILLED 34 people in AMERICAN SAMOA, 183 in SAMOA and NINE in TONGA.

nancyk58 · November 26, 2009

UPDATES OF THE SITUATION IN SOUTHEAST ASIA

The PHILIPPINES:

'URDUJA' MOVES EASTWARD; PAGASA MONITORS ANOTHER CYCLONE

(11/25/2009 | 08:02 AM - GMA News.TV)

Even as Tropical Depression Urduja moved eastward and continues to threaten eastern Visayas and Mindanao, state weather forecasters are monitoring a new tropical storm that may enter Philippine territory in three days.

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said Wednesday the incoming storm is more powerful than Urduja.

"We are monitoring a NEW TROPICAL STORM but it is FAR FROM THE PHILIPPINE AREA OF RESPONSIBILITY as of now. But this is FAR BIGGER THAN URDUJA," Pagasa forecaster Buddy Javier said in an interview on dzBB radio.

Javier said the new storm, with international code-name "NIDA," may affect areas between Visayas and Mindanao once it enters Philippine territory.

When asked when it may enter the country's area of responsibility, he said, "at least in three days’ time."

The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) 6 p.m. Tuesday report said Nida packed maximum winds of 55 knots (102 kph) near the center and gustiness of 80 knots (148 kph).

But in the next 24 hours, it may intensify and pack winds of up to 70 knots (130 kph) near the center. JMA said that Nida was moving north northwest.

On the other hand, Pagasa's 5 a.m. bulletin said Urduja was estimated at 70 km east of Surigao City as of 4 a.m. Wednesday, packing maximum sustained winds of 55 kph near its center and moving east slowly.

"Northeastern Mindanao will have rains and occasional gusty winds with moderate to rough seas. Visayas and the rest of Mindanao will experience cloudy skies with scattered rainshowers and thunderstorms while Luzon will be partly cloudy to cloudy with isolated rainshowers," Pagasa said.

Urduja is expected to be 130 km east of Surigao City Thursday morning, and 220 km east of Surigao City or 210 km east southeast of Guiuan, Eastern Samar Friday morning. By Saturday morning it is expected to be 310 km east southeast of Guiuan, Eastern Samar.

Areas under Storm Signal No. 1 include Southern Leyte, Surigao del Norte, Surigao del Sur, Agusan del Norte, Dinagat Island, and Siargao Island.

Pagasa reminded residents in low-lying areas and near mountain slopes in areas under Storm Signal 1 to take all precautions against POSSIBLE FLASHFLOODS and LANDSLIDES.

LG/RSJ, GMANews.TV

2 DEAD, ROADS IMPASSABLE IN 'URDUJA' WAKE - NDCC

(11/26/2009 | 07:34 AM - GMA News.TV)

At least TWO PEOPLE were reported KILLED in the wake of tropical depression URDUJA, the National Disaster Coordinating Council said late Wednesday.The NDCC only identified the two fatalities as members of the Rallos family in Jasaan town in Misamis Oriental.

It added FLOODING and LANDSLIDES in Camiguin and Misamis Oriental, and in Cagayan de Oro and Gingoog cities have affected 900 families or 4,229 people.

Of these, 813 families or 2,938 people were brought to evacuation centers.

NDCC also said several roads were impassable due to LANDSLIDES and OVERFLOWING OF CREEKS, are:

* Cagayan de Oro City: Road section along Sitio Kablua, Bayanga village, where two lanes are not passable because of LANDSLIDE DEBRIS.

* Camiguin: Tupsan Bridge along Tupsan village in Mahinog not passable due to debris; and national highway along Punta Gorda village, Baslingasag and road section along Sitio Mayang in Kabulawan, Lagonglong not passable due to debris.

Water levels of Cagayan de Oro River and its tributaries may still keep rising due to CONTINUOUS RAINS, the NDCC said.

POWER OUTAGES were still experienced in several areas in Camiguin and Gingoog City since Tuesday, it added.

In Caraga region, at least 26 VILLAGES were FLOODED due to the OVERFLOW OF Puyo and Celopan RIVERS. These include 23 in Agusan del Norte and three in San Jose, Dinagat Islands.

Some 1,464 FAMILIES or 7,396 PEOPLE were AFFECTED. Of these, 335 families or 1,751 people were brought to nine evacuation centers.

CLASSES were SUSPENDED in affected areas in Misamis Oriental, Camiguin, Cagayan de Oro and Gingoog.

LG, GMANews.TV

nancyk58 · November 27, 2009

Updates of the situation in Southeast Asia

FILIPINO UNICEF STAFFER SHOT IN MAGUINDANAO

(11/27/2009 | 06:29 PM - GMA News.TV)

MANILA, Philippine — A Filipino staffer working for UNICEF in the southern Philippines was shot in an attack and is in critical condition, the UN agency said Friday.

Police earlier reported that Nestor Bulahan had died after the attack Thursday, but a UNICEF statement later said the staffer was still alive and in critical condition.

UNICEF spokeswoman Angela Travis said the incident was not connected with his work. "He was not on official business and we understand the incident is personal," she said.

Police official Siegfredo Ramos said Bulahan was riding on a motorcycle taxi to meet an acquaintance in Parang township when a gunman shot him.

The shooting occurred in the same province, Maguindanao, where a powerful local politician was accused of ordering a massacre Monday of 57 people, including journalists, relatives and supporters of a political rival.

AP

FILIPINO Weather forecast: At 5 p.m. Friday, an intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ) affects SOUTHERN MINDANAO while a northeast monsoon affects NORTHERN and EASTERN LUZON.

nancyk58 · November 28, 2009

UPDATES OF THE SITUATION IN SOUTHEAST ASIA ON 28 NOVEMBER 2009

THE PHILIPPINES

Weather forecast: (24°C to 32°C). At 5 p.m. Saturday, the Northeast monsoon is affecting NORTHERN and EASTERN LUZON.

4 DEAD IN 'URDUJA' WAKE, SOME ROADS IMPASSABLE

(11/28/2009 | 11:01 AM - GMA News.TV)

At least FOUR people were left DEAD while several roads remained impassable in the wake of tropical depression "URDUJA," the National Disaster Coordinating Council said.

In its 6 p.m. Friday report, NDCC said three of the four died from a LANDSLIDE in Misamis Oriental, while one died of electrocution in CEBU.

The Misamis Oriental residents were identified as Isnaje Rallos, 1, and Jenebeb Rallos, four months old, of San Antonio village in Jasaan town; and Dionisio Quilloman, 62, of Santiago village in Gingoog City.

A fourth fatality, Roynaldo Zorobrado, was electrocuted in Dumanjug, CEBU.

NDCC said 13 were INJURED, including three in Misamis Oriental and 10 whose bus fell off a cliff due to a LANDSLIDE in Claver, Surigao del Norte.

SEVEN HOUSES were DESTROYED while 58 were DAMAGED in CARAGA REGION.

STILL IMPASSABLE are:

* Caraga: national highway in Gawad Kalinga area in Claver, Surigao del Norte;

* Manoligao Provincial Road at Sitio Manlangit in Carmen, Agusan del Norte;

* Tupsan Bridge in Camiguin Province; national highway in Mambajao, Camiguin.

POWER was RESTORED in areas of Camiguin province and Gingoog City in Misamis Oriental; and in Bayugan, Agusan del Sur.

JHU, GMANews.TV

OVER 50 FAMILIES in SOUTHERN LEYTE affected by LANDSLIDE caused by 'URDUJA' (news from 2009-11-25)

nancyk58 · November 29, 2009

UPDATES OF THE SITUATION IN SOUTHEAST ASIA ON 29 NOVEMBER 2009

THE PHILIPPINES:

Phivolcs: PREDAWN MAGNITUDE-5.9 QUAKE ROCKS PARTS OF MINDANAO

( 11/29/2009 | 07:26 AM - GMA News.TV )

Residents in the General Santos and Davao areas in Mindanao got a predawn jolt Sunday as a quake measuring magnitude 5.9 hit the area.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) reported that the temblor with a tectonic origin struck at 2: 10 a.m. Sunday east of General Santos City.

Phivolcs' earthquake bulletin no. 1 sent to GMANews.TV, indicated that the agency expects neither damage nor aftershocks from the quake.

On the other hand, the United States Geological Service (USGS) said the quake occurred at about 2:10 a.m., even as there was no initial report of damage or aftershocks as of Sunday morning.

USGS said the epicenter was about 160 km east-southeast of General Santos City; 205 km south-southeast of Davao; or 1,185 km south-southeast of Manila. - It said the epicenter was also some 2,535 km east-northeast of JAKARTA, INDONESIA.

GMANews.TV

WEATHER FORECAST: (24°C to 32°C). At 5 p.m. Sunday, NORTHEAST MONSOON IS AFFECTING NORTHERN AND EASTERN LUZON. No tropical cyclone is existing within the Philippine area of responsibility.

nancyk58 · November 30, 2009

UPDATES OF THE SOUTHEAST ASIA ON 30 NOVEMBER 2009

Weather forecast for the Philippines: (22°C to 31°C). At 5 p.m. Monday, a northeast monsoon affects northern and eastern Luzon. There is no existing tropical cyclone within the Philippine area of responsibility.

GMA News.TV

AMERICAN RED CROSS

http://redcrosschat.org/2009/11/30/cyber-monday/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+RedCrossChat+%28Red+Cross+Chat%29

Cyber Monday (posted on November 30th, 2009 by Gloria Huang)

Happy Cyber Monday! As you prepare to do some online holiday shopping today, remember to take a look at our Holiday Giving catalog. You can send a gift that will help someone who needs it the most this season.

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You can join our brand new Facebook Cause called Give the Gift that Saves the Day.

Posted in Press Releases, 11/30/09:

American Red Cross Survey Finds 62 Percent of Americans Plan to Donate More than $25 to Charity this Holiday Season in Spite of Economic Downturn

Red Cross offers online giving catalog to help families make charitable gifts in the name of others.

National Headquarters

2025 E Street, N.W.

Washington, DC 20006

http://www.redcross.org

WASHINGTON, Monday, November 30, 2009 — In spite of the economic downturn, Americans are entering this holiday season willing to support charities in two ways, with 62 percent planning to dig deep into their own wallets to support charities and nearly 40 percent talking with others about donating to charity instead of buying them a gift, according to a new survey for the American Red Cross. The survey shows that nearly 90 percent of Americans planned to donate to charity this holiday season. Half of those making donations plan to donate at least $50 to charity this holiday season, with 25 percent intending to give more than $100.

Importantly, the survey shows that in addition to making their own donations, 39 percent of people are willing to forego another holiday gift and have that money given to charities instead. Moreover, 80 percent said that if asked, they would be happy to make a donation to charity instead of buying a gift for someone. And with many people shopping online this holiday season, the Red Cross is making it easier to give charitable gifts through an online “Gifts that Save the Day” catalog that enables people to make a tax-deductable charitable gift this holiday season. The catalog, at http://www.redcross.org/gifts, allows people to make a donation that could provide FOOD and SHELTER for a DISASTER VICTIM for a day; a MILITARY COMFORT KIT with a robe, phone card and other supplies for a wounded warrior; or a month of BASIC NECESSITIES for a family in another country who lost everything in a disaster.

“In this season of hope, the Red Cross is asking people to give a gift that can really save the day for someone in need,” said Gail McGovern, president and CEO of the American Red Cross. “Shoppers doing their online gift-buying on Cyber Monday or at other times this holiday season can make a donation to the Red Cross in the name of someone special.”

Gifts made through the catalog are contributions towards a Red Cross program area, not a donation to a specific project or item. The donations will be used to provide assistance where it is needed most within the program area; remaining money is put to use where it is needed most.

WOMEN Most Often Involved in Family Decisions on Charitable Donations

WOMEN have a great deal of influence over charitable giving decisions in the home. Ninety percent of the women surveyed indicated that they are involved in decisions about which charities to support, compared to 81 percent of men. 22 percent said that they involved children in determining charitable donations.

Popular charities for holiday giving this year include those that HELP THE POOR (83 percent); HELP SERVICE MEMBERS (58 percent), HELP PEOPLE WITH A SPECIFIC DISEASE (55 percent) and that ASSIST DISASTER VICTIMS (51 percent).B]In addition, people are supporting charities during the holiday season with more than money, donating CLOTHING, TIME and even BLOOD. The survey found that 84 percent planned to donate used CLOTHING or HOUSEHOLD ITEMS; 75 percent would contribute FOOD to a food bank, 39 percent planned to VOLUNTEER FOR A CHARITY and 22 percent said they would donate BLOOD during the holiday season.

The telephone survey of 1,001 U.S. adults 18 years and older was conducted November 5-8, 2009 by CARAVAN® Opinion Research Corporation. The margin of error is +/- 3.1 percentage points at the 95% confidence level.

hyuodnhjg · November 30, 2009

USGS said the epicenter was about 160 km east-southeast of General Santos City; 205 km south-southeast of Davao; or 1,185 km south-southeast of Manila. - It said the epicenter was also some 2,535 km east-northeast of JAKARTA, INDONESIA.

nancyk58 · November 30, 2009

USGS said the epicenter was about 160 km east-southeast of General Santos City; 205 km south-southeast of Davao; or 1,185 km south-southeast of Manila. - It said the epicenter was also some 2,535 km east-northeast of JAKARTA, INDONESIA.

Thanks for your update. :D

nancyk58 · December 1, 2009

Updates of the situation in the Southeast Asia on 1 December 2009

THE PHILIPPINES

Weather forecast for the Philippines [/color](22°C to 32°C). At 5 p.m. Tuesday, a NORTHEAST MONSOON affects NORTHERN and EASTERN LUZON. There is no existing tropical cyclone within the Philippine area of responsibility.

PHOTO EXHIBIT SHOWS BAGUIO BACK ON TRACK AFTER ‘PEPENG’

(PAULINE NIKKA CORSINO11/30/2009 | 12:38 AM - GMA News.TV)

TUBA, Benguet - The pulling out of this year’s Advertising Congress in Baguio City did not deter four of the country’s top photographers from showcasing some of their works in an exhibit dubbed Optical Medium.

“This was originally part of the Advertising Congress. Unfortunately THE TYPHOONS came and the Ad Congress was pulled out of Baguio City," explains National Artist Ben Cabrera, who joins veterans Bien Bautista, Wig Tysmans, and Jaime Zobel in the exhibit.

“All the more that we need an exhibit like this to send the message that Baguio is back to normal," explains Cabrera, when postponement of the exhibit’s opening was thought of following the pullout of the Ad Congress.

However, the exhibit opened as planned on November 17, a day before the opening of the Advertising Congress in Subic.

The exhibit’s opening pushed through without much pomp, with no ribbons cut and no speeches made. Only Bautista and Cabrera were present along with some family members and friends.

Bencab’s works on display reveal the maestro’s versatility with his media. For Optical Medium, Cabrera used digital painting as finishing touches to facial close-ups of his subjects.

Veterans Bien Bautista and Wig Tysmans each rendered the human body in its intense, natural forms—Bautista’s set of passionate, emotion-filled nudes, and Tysmans’ Wrap-ture series with his nude silhouettes rendered in monochrome.

Art photographer Jaime Zobel’s pieces include the master’s signature abstracts rendered in full color. All in all, the four-man exhibit contains 28 pieces, some printed on wood and others on archival watercolor paper.

“This is our contribution to Baguio and the Cordilleras after the recent typhoons. I hope that people will come to Baguio to see the exhibit," says Cabrera.

Optical Medium runs until January 3, 2010 at the BenCab Museum located along Km. 6, Asin Road, Tuba, Benguet. The museum is open daily from 9 AM to 6 PM except Mondays, on Christmas Day, and on New Year’s Day. For more information, visit http://www.bencabmuseum.org.

KBK, GMANews.TV

Some older articles from GMA News.TV:

ONDOY, PEPENG PUSH CONSUMER PRICES HIGHER IN NOVEMBER

(11/25/2009 | 06:23 PM - GMA News.TV)

Consumer prices likely rose for the third consecutive month in November owing to the recent weather disturbances which hit the country.

The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas estimated that inflation for this month could have climbed between 2.4 percent and 3.3 percent, pushed higher by the effects of tropical storm ONDOY and typhoon PEPENG as well as the INCREASE IN POWER RATES imposed by the National Power Corp. and in OIL PRICES.

"he pick up in inflation could be largely attributed to SUPPLY DISRUPTIONS brought about by the recent TYPHOONS and HEAVY RAINS; INCREASES IN UTILITY RATES and INTERNATIONAL CRUDE," Tetangco stressed.

For January to October, inflation climbed 3.2 percent, a marked slow down from the 9.4-percent recorded in the same period in 2008.

Consumer prices had been rising steadily since February until it dropped to a two-decade low in August as Filipinos delayed spending amid the worldwide economic slump.

Despite the HIGHER INFLATION, Tetangco said consumer prices are seen to remain within forecast set by economic managers for this year and in 2010.

“Despite an uptick, November inflation falling in this range would still be consistent with a within-target inflation for 2009 and 2010," Tetangco said.

Inflation for this year is estimated to be between 2.5 percent and 4.5 percent, while for next year inflation range is from 3.5 percent to 5.5 percent.

Tetangco also said the IMF has put no pressure on the BSP to come up with an exit strategy for its relaxed monetary stance.

Owing to the global slump, the central bank has eased key policy rates by 200 basis point since December last year, bringing overnight borrowing rate at a record low of four percent and overnight lending rate at six percent.

Il Houng Lee, head of the visiting International Monetary Fund (IMF) mission, said inflation is expected to be contained to 3.1 percent this year and to pick up to 4.3 percent next year as commodity prices and economy of developed countries recover.

“Monetary tightening should only commence when the recovery is on a solid footing. The mission supports the authorities’ policy of limiting foreign exchange intervention to smoothing operations and allowing the exchange rate to adjust to market pressures," Lee added.

GMANews.TV

HER HOME TEETERING ON A SLOPE, BAGUIO WOMAN RECALLS LOSING LOVED ONES TO PEPENG LANDSLIDE

(PAULINE CORSINO, GMANews.TV11/23/2009 | 09:48 PM - GMA News.TV)

On the night of October 8, while typhoon Pepeng was dumping heavy rains over the Cordilleras, laundrywoman Teresita Andrada found herself shivering on the street and unable to get a cab ride home to Bakakeng Central along Marcos Highway.

Giving up hope, she then decided to spend the night in the tourist inn where she works. But despite the safety and comfort the place provided for the unfriendly night, Teresita remained ill at ease. Her family, including her pregnant daughter, was out there fending for themselves.

The next morning, she immediately went home. She was glad to find out her husband and four children were safe and sound, sheltered at the basketball court in front of their house. However, her eldest daughter, Leonora Picar, along with her own brood of six, were missing.

Andrada remembers running to her eldest daughter’s house, only to see that it wasn’t there anymore. Pieces of galvanized iron sheets that had been its walls lay crumpled beneath mounds of earth instead.

“I was worried because no one had seen them. I ran to their house, but it was not there anymore," Andrada says.

Running to the neighbor’s house below, Andrada asked if they had seen Leonora and her family. The neighbors said they didn’t.

The discovery

With the help of a barangay official, Andrada rushed to the Baguio City Hall to ask for help. According to her, it was already 3:00 p.m. when the bodies of all eight family members were dug out - Leonora, 28; her husband Simeon, 40; and their children Edmund, 11; Edison, 10; Loudy Boy, 8; Jennifer, 5; Jane Pamela, 4; and Simeon Jr., 1.

Andrada laments, “No one among the neighbors seemed to have heard the entire house collapse with my grandchildren in it. Not even one went to check them out."

Leonora, who was three months pregnant with her seventh child, was dug up holding Simeon Jr.

All eight members of the family were placed on wooden caskets and laid at the basketball court of the barangay. - Andrada believes Leonora's house collapsed in the wee hours of the morning.B]

Scarce burial lots

Even burial was a problem, Andrada says, with cemetery lots becoming scarce due to the big number of fatalities after the typhoon.

“We got a single cemetery lot and that's where we buried them all. We simply set down their caskets on top of one another," says Andrada.

The lone breadwinner of the family, Andrada recalls enjoying spending time with her grandchildren after work. She shares that her work now helps her cope with the loss of her daughter and her grandchildren, including Leonora’s unborn child.

Nearly two months after the deaths, however, Andrada still fears for their lives in the event of another typhoon as strong as Pepeng.

Their house, a makeshift laundry room owned by her employer, stands at the edge of a slope just above the place where Leonora’s house had stood.

Andrada’s family welcomes the possibility of relocation, but no concrete plans and assistance have so far been extended.

She says this was the first time their place was hit by landslides. Not far from the site, two houses sitting on the edge of a cliff had also collapsed at the height of the typhoon, but nobody died.

The Picar family is among the HUNDREDS OF FATALITIES left by TYPHOON PEPENG, which brought UNPRECEDENTED LANDSLIDES and FLOODING to the Cordillera region.

JV, GMANews.TV

BAGUIO TOURISM STILL STRUGGLING AFTER PEPENG

(By PAULINE NIKKA CORSINO11/22/2009 | 07:36 PM - GMA News.TV)

BAGUIO CITY, Philippines - MORE THAN A MONTH AFTER the onslaught of TYPHOON PEPENG (international codename: PARMA), businesses in Baguio City are barely back on their feet, with tourist turnouts remaining low.

Kim, who sells Baguio food products and souvenir items in one of the busiest bus terminals in the Central Business District, laments their consistent decrease in sales this year.

“We usually generate about P10,000 income around the same time last year. In the months before the typhoon, it went down to around P6,000, then to just P800 in the days following the typhoon," she explains in Filipino.

“Tourists who drop by here no longer buy Baguio souvenirs," Kim adds. The products include knitted bonnets, scarves, and necklaces.

Sales were momentarily brisk during the All Saint’s Day weekend but quickly dwindled the following week, adds Kim.

“Our sales usually shoot up starting the last week of October and will last until around June the next year, but this is not the case anymore," Kim explains.

Ellen, another stall owner, says their average P1, 500 sales everyday went down to P100 during the typhoon.

Recovering

She adds, however, that they are slowly recovering, with bus trips having gone back to normal since the reopening of Baguio’s three main roads.

A bus company with routes from Baguio to Manila and nearby provinces records an average 33 round trips per day at around P10,000 per trip, which brings daily losses to more than P600,000 during the four-day trip suspension.

Businesses at Burnham Park, perhaps Baguio’s most accessible tourist spot, have also been suffering.

Belen Ogena says her boats-for-rent business is not coping very well. “Last year we usually had (the boats) rented for 30 minutes at P60. Today we allow customers to stay there for as long as they want for the same price."

“We expected to recover after the RAINY SEASON, but THEN PEPENG came and we have since been hard up coping with the low tourist turnout," she says in Filipino.

Sonny Legaspi, who has a bicycle-for-rent business, has similar concerns. He observes that excursions are hard to come by nowadays, and fewer foreign tourists have come since typhoon Pepeng compared to the same time last year.

Even Baguio’s famous ukay-ukay is affected, as it is heavily dependent on tourist arrivals. Marina Bumatay, owner of one stall along the Bayanihan area near Burnham Park, has not replenished her stock since June of this year.

Lost revenues

Baguio City lost around P300 million in expected revenues from the pullout of the Advertising Congress, according to the Department of Tourism (DOT).

But the mountain resort city is expected to gradually regain its losses as the busy holiday season nears, and with several activities lined up to spruce up its tourism.

The Hotel and Restaurant Association of Baguio has slashed hotel rates by 30-50 percent until the end of this month to attract tourists back to the city.

The DOT is also set to launch the WOW Philippines, Cordillera’s Best 2009 project on November 25. Among the activities lined up are two grand parades on November 28 and 29 featuring Baguio City and the Cordillera Region’s festivals.

The city is also set to host the 60th edition of the Fil-American Golf Tournament starting November 25. The event is expected to shoot up Baguio’s tourism as it will draw some 1,200 golfers from around the world. It holds a Guiness Record for being the biggest amateur golf tournament in the world.

Says a DOT source, “We are eyeing on conferences as the primary tourism activity to be hoisted in Baguio. Again, we remain optimistic that visitors will still be coming this Christmas season," adding that December is Baguio’s most visited month.

GMANews.TV

nancyk58 · December 2, 2009

UPDATES OF THE SITUATION IN SOUTHEAST ASIA ON 2 DECEMBER 2009

ONDOY AND PEPENG LOSSES NEXT ONLY TO ACEH TSUNAMI

(12/02/2009 | 03:15 PM - GMA News.TV)

The government should FAST-TRACK THE REBUILDING OF RURAL LIVELIHOODS – before the year ends as much as possible – to AVOID PRODUCTION DECLINES, INCOME LOSSES and INCREASED SPENDING during the dry season in the aftermath of tropical cyclones ONDOY and PEPENG, the worst natural disaster in the region since the East Asian tsunami of 2005, a post-disaster assessment report said.

Damages and losses from ONDOY and PEPENG (International names KETSANA and PARMA, respectively) reached $4.4 million – equivalent to 2.7 percent of total economic output. While financing needs are large, “the cost of doing nothing would be larger still," according to the report which was released Wednesday.

The report estimates the total cost of recovery and reconstruction of LUZON, which includes METRO MANILA, at $ 4.42 billion over the short to medium term (2009 to 2012). It said larger investments, particularly in flood control and housing, may need to be considered in the longer term.

The storms hit regions of the country that account for almost two-thirds of the gross domestic product, including the National Capital Region, which accounts for more than a third of total economic output.

The report, prepared by several development organizations from the public and private sectors, cited the need for rapid action in repairing irrigation systems and clearing plantations of gravel, silt and sand while providing farmers with seeds and fertilizer to ensure that there is enough food for everyone in the coming year.

The state should also pay close attention to FLOOD MANAGEMENT and DISASTER RISK REDUCTION, while increasing the participation of local governments in the recovery and reconstruction program and in coming up with measures to mitigate disaster risks.

"]“While ONDOY’s flooding could not have been prevented, its extensive impact was preventable. Similarly, the damage wrought by Pepeng could have been mitigated," the study, prepared by the United Nations and World Bank, among others, pointed out.[/b]

LESSONS FROM SAO PAULO

Preventing such impacts in the future, it added, requires closer attention to areas such as land use planning, housing, water management, environmental protection and disaster risk mitigation. Policymakers should address the congestion of Metro Manila, the proliferation of slums, the heavily polluted environment in urban areas, and the weak performance of agribusiness in rural areas.

The study called for a transparent, accountable and result-based recovery and reconstruction program. It also cited the need to engage local communities in decision-making, implementation and monitoring to lower the risk of fund misuse.

The report noted that the vast majority of damage to the housing stock was concentrated in the informal sector, which serves mainly low-income families, so building back better means providing better alternatives to informal settlers.

The Philippines, it added, can learn much from Singapore and Sao Paulo, which have successfully addressed the issue of slums through more intensive use of urban land. “Given the cost of land in metropolitan Manila and the need to keep people close to their sources of livelihoods, spreading upwards in more compact settlements is a logical solution," it said.

PRODUCTIVE SECTORS WORST HIT

Much of the damage costs, or about $3.22 billion, was sustained by productive sectors such as agriculture, industry, commerce and tourism. Losses and damages suffered by so-called social sectors such as housing, education, cultural heritage and health reached $919 million.

Losses and damages to infrastructure – including electricity, water and sanitation, flood control, drainage and dam management, transport and telecommunications – reached $237.3 million, while local governments lost $7.1 million.

As of November 23, the official DEATH TOLL from the twin natural disasters have reached 956 PERSONS, with 736 INJURED and 84 still MISSING. Most of the deaths caused by ONDOY were due to DROWNING, while deaths from PEPENG were mostly due to LANDSLIDES, especially in the Cordillera Administrative Region.

Data showed that more than 9.3 MILLION PEOPLE – about 20 PERCENT OF an estimated POPULATION of 43.2 million living in affected regions – were SEVERELY AFFECTED.

The post-disaster needs assessment report was prepared by the government, multi-sectoral groups, development partners Asian Development Bank, European Commission, United Nations and the World Bank Group.

Cheryl Arcibal, GMANews.TV

nancyk58 · December 3, 2009

UPDATES OF THE SITUATION IN SOUTHEAST ASIA ON 3 DECEMBER 2009

REMITTANCES TO HIT RECORD HIGH DUE TO TYPHOON AID

(Joseph Holandes Ubalde, GMA News.TV - 12/03/2009 | 09:29 PM)

Remittances are expected to reach a record high this year after overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) are seen to send more cash home to assist their families whose houses have been damaged by typhoons.

From last year’s $16.426 billion, remittances are expected to grow by $500 million to $1 billion to an unprecedented $17 billion this year, the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) said.

The increase in remittances will be used for “RECOVERY SPENDING" and HOUSING REPAIRS of OFW families and beneficiaries whose homes were either flooded or washed away by waters that submerged the Philippine capital.

Tropical cyclone ONDOY brought record amounts of RAINFALL, engulfing whole villages for weeks, in September.

Weeks later, typhoon PEPENG also unleashed furious WINDS and RAIN, damaging not only houses but farms, crops, poultry, and livestock.

Citing data from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), OFWs sent home $12.789 billion through formal banking sectors from January to September this year. This is up by 4.21 percent from the same period in 2008.

Earlier, the TUCP had projected remittances to drop by 10 percent this year due to the economic slump in the US which leads to job cuts.

Remittances coursed through channels in the US from January to September this year have plunged by 9.71 percent or $5.360 billion from $5.937 billion in the same period in 2008.

But TUCP secretary-general Ernesto Herrera said this was easily offset by the remittances from Filipinos in Canada and Japan.

Filipinos from CANADA, where many Filipino migrants are highly-paid professionals, sent $494.22-million while some $212.43 million was sent from JAPAN.

The surge in remittances from Japan is due to the increased hiring of Filipino seafarers.

RJAB Jr., GMANews.TV

---------------------

UNICEF - AT A GLANCE: PHILIPPINES (from Unicef's website)

SCHOOLS ADAPT and CONTINUE DESPITE POST-TYPHOON FLOODING IN THE PHILIPPINES

MANILA, PHILIPPINES, 25 November 2009 – Most schools in metropolitan MANILA have reopened after FOUR TYPHOONS caused MASSIVE FLOODING in SEPTEMBER and OCTOBER, but teachers and students in the flood zone are still in URGENT NEED OF SCHOOL SUPPLIES.

The typhoons that hit the Philippines caused FLOODING in more than 80 PER CENT of the CAPITAL, as well as other areas. Close to 1,000 people were KILLED and 1.7 MILLION were DISPLACED or living in areas that remained FLOODED.

The crisis also took a major toll on education. More than 3,400 SCHOOLS were AFFECTED, and many opened their doors as EVACUATION CENTRES FOR DISPLACED FAMILIES. As a result, teachers had to use a range of strategies to protect children's right to quality education – as enshrined in Article 28 of the Convention in the Rights of the Child, which applies even in emergency or post-emergency situations.

SCHOOL AS SHELTER

Among the worst-affected areas is Rizal province, just outside MANILA. Some communities here are still submerged and accessible only by boat. SEVERAL SCHOOLS remain partially FLOODED, and many others still serve as EVACUATION CENTRES.

A weekday in early November, Patricio Jarin Elementary School Principal Imelda Custodio gave a tour of the damage at her school. Ms. Custodio pointed to a large sports field nearby that now looks more like a lake.

Across the flooded field, displaced people were crowded into several classrooms where they were living temporarily. A few inches of water still covered the floors and an outside walkway.

Inside their makeshift quarters, several families were sleeping on tables and wooden boards, with cloth and tarps tied up to separate each family's living space. One room had 13 families crammed in. Some who can't afford to buy boots were barefoot, and many had pruned feet from standing in the water.

Despite the major disruptions caused by the floods, students here were back in classes in Patricio Jarin's dry classrooms. The school had to merge classes and ask students to attend in shifts because space was too tight to fit all the students and evacuees.

GETTING BACK TO NORMAL

Back in MANILA, Philippines Undersecretary of Education Antonio Inocentes said education took a back seat after the floods, when schools were taking in so many evacuees.

But the Department of Education has been working with non-governmental partners to get schools back up and running as quickly as possible, he said. Together they've helped distribute school-supply packs to children returning to affected schools. The goal is to restore a sense of normalcy for students.

"We found it very therapeutic for the children when they can be again with their classmates, be able to laugh and to talk, and again do normal things," said Mr. Inocentes.

Teachers and administrators also had to adapt their usual rules and teaching methods to fit the challenging circumstances. In affected areas, for example, schools let parents know that they could send children to school in their regular clothes if they didn't have the proper uniforms. And some teachers travelled to students' houses or to evacuation centres when it was too dangerous or costly for the children to come to school.

PSYCHO-SOCIAL HELP FOR STUDENTS

At Pinagbuhatan Elementary School in Pasig City, on MANILA's outskirts, floodwater and mud damaged desks, chairs, teaching materials and student records. The school reopened in late October after a month of clean-up, repairs and re-stocking.

Many of the students' homes and belongings were damaged or destroyed. After weeks of cleaning out the mud, sixth-grader Louie Mangali said his family's house was still a mess. Like many other students, Louie also lost his school supplies. But he said some of his classmates had suffered more. They were still finding it difficult to concentrate on their studies because what they had experienced during or after the storms.

"Some of my classmates weren't able to relate with the class discussion and they weren't able to do their assignments," Louie noted.

Hundreds lost their lives during the crisis, and some students lost friends or loved ones, or witnessed tragedies. Many schools stepped in to give psycho-social support as children coped with loss. Teachers such as Mary Jane Lattao tried to use alternative education methods.

"We counselled them, we shared experiences and we let them play some games to avoid boredom," said Ms. Lattao.

LIFE-SAVING LESSONS

Re-establishing education after an emergency can play an important role in helping children overcome its psycho-social impact. Post-disaster education can also teach children critical skills, according to UNICEF Philippines Education in Emergencies consultant Arnaldo Arcadio.

"Education can be life-saving, because we provide children with information on health, water, sanitation and nutrition," he said. "We incorporate that into classroom discussions so that they will know how to survive in those conditions."

Mr. Arcadio added that children can teach their family members about the dangers of playing in floodwaters, the risks in evacuation centres and how to avoid them, and the importance of washing their hands with soap before and after eating and using the toilet. In many ways, he said, this aspect of education is as important an emergency response as the provision of food, water and sanitation.

ALTERNATIVE WAYS TO DELIVER EDUCATION

In the wake of the recent typhoons, NGOs are taking lessons from these and past storms to better prepare for future natural disasters. UNICEF is working with the Philippines school authorities to develop alternative ways of delivering education – including self-learning exercises that students can do if they can't get to school.

"With these alternative delivery modes, we will be able to minimize the disruption in schooling and, at the same time, ensure that children are safe in their homes – but with their learning activities continued," said UNICEF Philippines Chief of Education Lulay de Vera Mateo.

To make up for time lost during the floods, several schools are extending school hours, shortening holiday breaks or holding make-up classes on Saturday. The country's National Disaster Coordinating Council estimates that it could take until late December for some of the worst-affected schools to reopen.

nancyk58 · December 4, 2009

UPDATES OF THE SITUATION IN SOUTHEAST ASIA ON 4 DECEMBER 2009

SAMOAN TSUNAMI WAVE WAS 46 FEET HIGH

(12/04/2009 | 02:07 PM - GMA News.TV)

WELLINGTON, New Zealand — The TSUNAMI that KILLED MORE THAN 200 PEOPLE in the SAMOAN ISLANDS and TONGA earlier this year towered up to 46 FEET (14 METERS) HIGH — more then twice as tall as most of the buildings it slammed into, scientists said Friday.

New Zealand scientists studying the size, power and reach of the tsunami as part of efforts to guard against future disasters said they found UP TO THREE DESTRUCTIVE WAVES were caused by the MAGNITUDE 8.0 UNDERSEA EARTHQUAKE in SEPTEMBER.

The MASSIVE WAVES that struck SAMOA, AMERICAN SAMOA and TONGA totally destroyed traditional wooden buildings, many of them singly story, along the coast while reinforced concrete buildings sustained only minor damage, said Stefan Reese, a risk engineer with New Zealand's National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research.

The waves were up to 46 feet (14 meters) high, Reese told The Associated Press. The scientists measured watermarks on buildings and trees to help confirm the height of the waves.

"In some areas there was virtually nothing left" after the waves reached up to 765 yards (700 meters) inland, Reese said.

Wide reefs saved some villages by helping to reduce the waves' height to about 10 feet (3 meters), Reese said.

The SAMOAN quake created a sea floor fault up to 190 miles (300 kilometers) long and 23 feet (7 meters) deep.

The SEPT. 29 TSUNAMI KILLED 34 people in AMERICAN SAMOA, 183 in SAMOA and NINE in TONGA. - AP

nancyk58 · December 6, 2009

Updates of the situation in the Southeast Asia on 5 and 6 December 2009

No relevant news on GMA News.TV in the week-end 5 and 6/12 2009

Weather Report for the Philippines: (21°C to 31°C). As of 5 a.m. Sunday, no tropical cyclone is existing within the Philippine Area of Responsibility. A strong to gale force winds is expected to affect the seaboards of Luzon and Eastern Visayas.

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Danish Red Cross:

THE POOR ARE GOING TO PAY DEARLY FOR CLIMATE CHANGE

Everyone is talking about climate change right now. Unfortunately, there is very little focus on the millions of people already affected by the warmer climate. 92 percent of them live in poor countries.

Responsible for this page: Ilse lark Kristensen

Climate change is not something that happens in a distant future. They are already today a major cause of natural disasters. Storms, floods and droughts have become stronger, and their number increases.

This means that every year, 243 million people are affected by disasters caused by climate. Everything indicates that the figure will grow to 375 million in 2015.

There is no doubt about the reason for the new disaster picture: The earth has become warmer, and it affects the climate, which in turn affects the disasters.

Climate change affects the world's poor hardest

Those living in poor countries live a dangerous life. The risk of being killed in a natural disaster here is 10 times higher than in Denmark and in other rich countries.

The last 10 years, 72 percent of all natural disasters hit the developing world. It cost both lives and money in countries that already have difficulties in surviving.

Climate change also affects particularly hard in developing countries because large sections of the people here are deeply dependent on nature and its resources. Here the consequences of a bad harvest might be fatal for a family.

Other consequences of climate change:

• Conflicts - Scarcity of resources such as land and water increases the risk of conflict across the world.

• Melting glaciers - Threatening water supplies for millions of people.

• Rising sea levels - The water level in the world's oceans rises and threatens the existence of many countries.

• Diseases - such as malaria and dengue fever are spreading to areas not previously affected.

• Refugees - Millions are forced to flee because of the climate. That figure rises dramatically over the next decades.

Pages

COP 15: We must ensure future generations

Red Cross: We do as we usually do

Photo Series

Climate change shakes Mozambique

Photo exhibition in Copenhagen

Facts

Climate and disasters in numbers

Theme

Climate and Conflict

Other climate sites

Red Cross Climate Center

COP 15’s Official site

UN Climate Convention (eng)

Climate Calendars

People’s Climate Action

Wonderful Copenhagen

Our goals for the Copenhagen summit:

• The rich countries earmark more money to poor countries so that they are equipped to cope with disasters when these strike.

• Adaptation to climate change becomes a permanent part of the work on development and on poverty reduction.

• A marked reduction of global emissions of greenhouse gases.

http://drk.dk/nyheder/temaer/klima-c3-+verdens+fattige+betaler+prisen

nancyk58 · December 7, 2009

UPDATES OF THE SITUATION IN SOUTHEAST ASIA ON 7 DECEMBER 2009

UNICEF:

UNICEF is an abbreviation for United Nations International Childrens Emergency Fund which was UNICEF's full name until 1953. Subsequently the name has been changed toUnited Nations Children's Fund as the organization expanded its work to include development aid.

http://www.unicef.dk/script/site/page.asp?Cat_ID=228&artID=1350

A new song "It's My World" sung by the Danish choir "Alien Beat Club" and the Choir of Danish Radio. The song is written and donated to UNICEF by the Danish singer, producer and "X Factor" judge Remee (abroad he is probably most known for having written Jamelia's great hit "Super Star"). The new song is to be sung by children from 42 countries at the Childrens' Climate Forum 2009 in December. The Children's Climate Forum was held in Copenhagen from 28 November to 4 December 2009.

The lyrics of "It's My World"

Everyday when I get home

I can see what I did wrong

And the back of my mind say

That I should know better

And I would give it all up

If I could turn back the clock

Would´ve treated you better

Now I see it clearer

I do believe there's a time to change

And I'm not caught up in yesterday

Cause the world will keep on turning

And a light will keep on burning

For the fact that I'll be learning

Every minute of the journey

But if we dont stop pretending

There will be consequenses

For the rivers that are flowing

When the fire's on, the fire´s on

It's my world

Somebody made it all up

The beauty of a raindrop

Just like a work of art

Mountains and rivers

I wanna see where it ends up

If I give it all my love

Every thought I give her will come back forever

I know that we've got the right to change

And there's no reason to place the blame

Cause the world will keep on turning

And a light will keep on burning

For the fact that I'll be learning

Every minute of the journey

When the fire´s on, the fire´s on

It's my world, it's my world…

I got a choice to make (for my world)

Before it fades away (my world)

It's now or never

Can´t be like hey whatever

Whatever motivates (my world)

I gotta make a change

We´re in this together

Cause the world will keep on turning

And a light will keep on burning

For the fact that I'll be learning

When the fire´s on, the fire´s on

It's my world

----------------

Our World, Our Future

CHILDREN’s CLIMATE FORUM DECLARATION 2009

Climate change threatens our lives, our families and our future. We, the youth delegates from 44 countries attending the Children’s Climate Forum 2009, will not sit back and watch. We already face the effects of climate change. Our communities are deprived of clean drinking water, denied access to education and vulnerable to disease every time it floods. Our plates are empty due to drought. Our future is at risk, and we demand that something be done. The youth in the world are ready to take action, and we request the same of governments worldwide. The time for talk is over. Now, we hold you accountable for your commitments.

The challenges may appear insurmountable, yet as stakeholders, our generation is ready to collaborate in this cause.

We commit to personal lifestyle changes that place the common good above our individual desires and

current way of life.

We commit to educate and empower ourselves and our communities to adapt to and mitigate the changing climate.

We commit to engage and actively cooperate with all generations and governments in combating climate change.

As our efforts alone will not be enough, we expect our leaders and fellow citizens to cooperate. The following actions need to be taken:

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR ADAPTATION

· Governments of industrialized countries should contribute more, through financial and technological support, to the adaptation of developing countries to climate change.

· We want cities to be well‐planned and sustainable, with clean drinking water, many green spaces and efficient transport networks. Governments should take more proactive efforts to prevent uncontrolled urban growth and strengthen rural communities by creating sustainable employment, quality education and entertainment.

· Regulations, safety standards and standard emergency protocol, consistently centered on and informed by children, need to be established to prepare for climate induced disasters.

· As lack of water is already causing drought and desertification in many areas, governments must work towards water conservation and provide clean water sources for areas in need.

· Education on sea level rise and flooding, along with policies that allow communities to adjust to changes, must be implemented. When communities’ water supplies are threatened by rising sea levels, alternative sources should be provided to aid their adaptation.

· Biodiversity‐related projects that promote the conservation of threatened species must be widely implemented.

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR MITIGATION

· Research, development and sharing of green and energy‐efficient technologies, especially renewable energy production, must occur between industrialized and developing countries to ensure sustainable development globally.

· Investments should be made in sustainable transport infrastructure, such as train and bus networks, cycling lanes and environmentally friendly fuel.

· An international carbon trading system should be introduced. All transactions within the market should be taxed and the revenue generated should be used for an adaptation fund.

· We propose a new classification where countries are divided into three annexes - the industrialized countries, the developing countries which pollute heavily and the less polluting developing countries - to distribute responsibilities fairly among nations.

· Governments should establish and develop recycling systems on a national level.

We demand that our authorities provide accessible recycling facilities in all communities.

· Climate change education should be a mandatory and substantial area of the school curriculum. Governments should also support organizations which already educate youth on climate issues.

The battle against climate change is upon all of us. We are ready to act and we invite you to join us. Climate change is affecting our lives, our families and our future. We must act immediately and we are ready to fulfill our commitments. We are prepared to give all we have as long as there is the possibility of saving our

planet.

We expect the same courage from you.

-----------------------------

THE WORLD's CHILDREN DEMAND CLIMATE ACTION BY WORLD LEADERS

07-12-2009 - On Friday 4 December 2009 children from around the world gathered in Copenhagen presented their own Climate Forum Declaration to the Danish Minister, Mrs. Connie Hedegaard who is President of COP 15.

The children's commitments

The Declaration commits the children to change their own lifestyles and demands that world governments act now to protect the world from the terrible consequences of climate change.

164 children with a voice

"The battle against climate change is upon all of us. We are ready to act and we invite you to join us. Climate change is affecting our lives, our families and our future. We must act immediately and we are ready to fulfill our commitments. We are prepared to give all we have as long as there is the possibility of saving our planet". So a total of 164 young people from around the world wrote in their Climate Forum Declaration. "We expect the same courage from you," the declaration concludes.

The next generation demands action

During the closing ceremony today at the Copenhagen City Hall Connie Hedegaard received the Children Climate Forum Declaration with a big thank you to the 164 youth delegates, because they put pressure on the politicians.

"Tell them they cannot leave Copenhagen empty-handed in two weeks! Because you - the community / citizens - the next generation - demand that they act now," said Connie Hedegaard, in her speech to the youth climate ambassadors.

Concrete proposals

The Children's Climate Forum Declaration recommends the governments of industrialized countries to contribute more financially to combat climate change; the planning of cities in a way so that they are sustainable; the implementation of laws and disaster preparedness to mitigate the consequences and effects of natural disasters; the conservation of clean water; schools to educate children on sea level rise and flooding, and implementation of biodiversity-related projects to conserve threatened species.

New classification of the world's countries

The youth delegates also came up with recommendations for reducing CO2 emissions. In addition, they propose a new classification of the world's countries - in industrialized countries, developing countries which pollute heavily and less polluting developing countries - to distribute responsibilities fairly among nations.

Week-long battle for justice

Climate justice was altogether a recurring theme at the week-long children's forum, where 164 youth delegates between 14 and 17 years from 44 countries met in Copenhagen City Hall to discuss and learn about climate change and to submit plans for the continued action for a better climate when they return to their home countries.

164 new ambassadors

After the forum the youth delegates were formally appointed youth climate ambassadors. "It has been very cool that children with so many different backgrounds can agree on so many items. I hope we can keep in touch across the countries to exchange ideas and experience. At this forum, there are so many young people who have experienced many terrible things. I will take that with me when I go out as climate ambassador to give lectures, "says 15-year-old Martin Dover who is Danish climate ambassador.

Eight children participating at the Adults' Climate Summit

Eight youth delegates from Bangladesh, Bolivia, Haiti, Kenya, Maldives, Senegal, South Africa and Zambia will stay in Copenhagen to draw attention to children's concerns and recommendations in the first week of the adults' Climate Summit, COP 15.

The ceremony was supported by climate song

During the closing ceremony, the children's climate demands were supported by the Danish singer Remee and the Danish choir "Alien Beat Club" who - together with the 164 climate ambassadors - sang the hit "It's My World". The song was written by Remee specifically for the Children Climate Forum.

Extract of Children’s Climate Forum Declaration 2009

We commit to personal lifestyle changes that place the common good above our individual desires and current way of life.

We commit to educate and empower ourselves and our communities to adapt to and mitigate the changing climate.

We commit to engage and actively cooperate with all generations and governments in combating climate change.

HELP RED CROSS AND UNICEF HELP VICTIMS OF NATURAL DISASTERS

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