***Philippines***

[rodinuk]

The land which produced Miss International Queen, the beautiful Kevin Balot and is home to thousands of transpinay ladyboys suffered the impact of Typhoon Haiyan on Friday sweeping through six central Philippine islands leaving thousands of lives devastated.


This storm described as probably the most intense and strongest storm of its type to make landfall is affecting 4 million people, even evacuation centres being destroyed by the storm which seems to have shredded anything in its path.



This link provides many different ways to help for US folks:


http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2...iyan-survivors


In the UK you can use:


http://www.oxfam.org.uk/


http://www.redcross.org.uk/


and others listed here:


http://www.dec.org.uk/blog/typhoon-h...es-philippines


or just Google for your country's aid agency donation links.




Thank you.

[GroobySteven]

We're going to be doing a Grooby appeal later today ... please watch this space.

[Prospero]

Good stuff.... the suffering out there is just incredible.
Everyone help.

And reach out to Filipinos you know (there are many in London's transgender world) who may have lost loved ones back home or, at the very least, seen homes and livelihoods swept away.

[Stavros]

From what I am told by a ts frend from Leyte there are still no direct communications with the island (as of Monday 11th November) and the fear is that while the devastation in Tacloban is on the news, smaller coastal towns as well as some villages in the interior may have been completely wiped out. As if too often the case in countries like the Philippines, the flimsy nature of many dwellings has increased the casualty rate and it will require a huge effort to re-build. Although I can't be sure it seems Ormoc City has been cut off but the casualty rate is less than on the north side of the island around Tacloban owing to the passage of the typhoon. However it is still early on the reporting process. Grim indeed.

[GroobyKrissy]

I have a longstanding Fan of the site there that I've been trying to reach via Twitter... no luck at all. Kinda worried. Sounds awful.

[Ananke]

I have a lot of filipino friends and, on their behalf, I thank you for your help.

[Ecstatic]

I have been very busy these past few days, communicating with associates, friends and models of www.piladyboy.com and have made some major personal donations to several in need. Fortunately, everyone I've been in touch with has been OK, for which I am grateful.

It is a disaster of unbelievable proportions, the most powerful typhoon on record with sustained wind at sea of 196 mph, gusts up to 235 mph, and sustained wind at landfall of 147 mph. Over 800,000 people homeless, estimates of 10,000 dead. Tragic doesn't begin to describe it. Fortunately, Metro Manila and Cebu, the two biggest population centers, were spared the full impact. Please donate what you can. The links above are good.

[Ecstatic]

www.piladyboy.com will donate 50% of all new member signups over the next two weeks to Filipino aid. Please donate whatever you can, the need is great.

[Ecstatic]

GlobalGiving.org has set up a Super Typhoon Haiyan Relief Fund. They promise your donation will support immediate and long-term rescue and recovery for those affected.




They are working with local partners in the Philippines to determine which needs are most vital, and will quickly and efficiently get your funds to the ground. Initial funds will help survivors get necessary supplies, including food, fuel, clean water, hygiene products, and shelter. As the days and weeks pass, your donations will help with long-term recovery.

[Stavros]

Typhoon prompts 'fast' by Philippines climate delegate
By Matt McGrath Environment correspondent, BBC News
The head of the Philippines delegation at UN climate talks in Poland has said he will stop eating until participants make "meaningful" progress.
In an emotional speech, Yeb Sano linked the "staggering" devastation caused by Typhoon Haiyam to a changing climate.
Mr Sano said he was speaking on behalf of those who lost their lives in the storm and his fast would last until "we stop this madness".
His speech brought tears to the eyes of other delegates and a standing ovation.
“What my country is going through as a result of this extreme climate event is madness”.
Mr Sano said the typhoon had made land near his home area, and he had just had word that members of his family had survived.
At the opening of the two-week Conference of the Parties (Cop), Mr Sano said he was not just speaking for those who lost their lives but for the thousands who were now orphans.
He told the meeting he would refuse to eat until progress is made.
"In solidarity with my countrymen who are struggling to find food back home, I will now commence a voluntary fasting for the climate, this means I will voluntarily refrain from eating food during this Cop, until a meaningful outcome is in sight."
"What my country is going through as a result of this extreme climate event is madness, the climate crisis is madness. We can stop this madness right here in Warsaw," he said.


Mr Sano's intervention unleashed a wave of emotion in the normally staid surroundings of the UN conference.
China proposed three minutes of silence in memory of the victims. Delegates stood, some with tears in their eyes as they reflected on the scale of human loss in the super storm.
Earlier the UN's climate chief, Christiana Figueres, had opened the meeting saying the typhoon was part of the "sobering reality" and negotiators should go the "extra mile" in their efforts.
Speaking at the conference centre at the national football stadium in Warsaw, Ms Figueres reminded the delegates that climate change was not a game.
"There are no winners and losers, we all either win or lose in the future we make for ourselves."
Island support
Participants from small island states said the typhoon served as a stark reminder of "the cost of inaction".
In a statement, Olai Ngedikes the lead negotiator for the Alliance of Small Island States (Aosis) said that the storm should motivate the work in Warsaw.
She said that discussions on the issue of loss and damage, a key element for developing countries, must proceed at pace.
"It has become clear that there are now impacts from climate change that can no longer be avoided.
"It is therefore essential that we establish an international mechanism on loss and damage here in Warsaw and address this crisis once and for all," she said.
Despite their sympathy for the situation in the Philippines, developed nations are likely to resist a formal, legal basis for future loss and damage claims associated with climate change.



http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-24899647