Recovery Begins.

We went to church today. For those of you who aren't LDS, we meet all together for Sacrament Meeting first, and then seperate for two blocks of classes after. The blocks today were cancelled and the adults all met together to discuss what we needed to do to help the members of a ward (parish) in our stake (diocese) that was hit hard by the flooding. Then we broke up to get supplies and return later in the evening.

When we got back, there were 15 or so people there with bags of clothes and food. We had been reassigned to help a different ward, because the one in our stake was getting the help it needed already. The new ward, however, is still mostly submerged. The women were getting ready to go shopping to buy noodles, rice, and sardines to cook it up and prepare to take it out tomorrow. The men were off to take a look at the area to offer what help they could tonight and find out what needed to be done tomorrow. The plan now is tomorrow everyone will go in with food and cleaning supplies and help people shovel the mud out of their homes and start cleaning up. Most homes here are made with concrete or metal istead of drywall or wood. I'm beginning to see the wisdom of this.

A is out with the men now. I would have stayed behind to help with the cooking, but we were the only ones with their kids in tow and they were getting whiny and bored, so I brought them home. A is planning on going out tomorrow to help with the clean-up effort. If I could trust our househelp to watch the kids, I would be going, too. But one of them isn't all that on-board with the whole working thing, and the other is in the middle of an emo drama-spree. I am honestly one annoyance away from firing them both and taking it all over again. It has not been worth it to have them. It is always something and I just am getting very close to being done.

But I digress...

The radio stations here aren't playing music anymore. The DJs are just taking texts and calls from people requesting rescue and playing them out over the radio. People are also calling in asking for missing people to make contact. It is heart breaking. The numbers now are 52 dead, but I have a feeling that as the waters recede, that number will spike and far more will be classified as missing. Not far from here, three children were swept away in their own house when the entire home was taken by the rising river.

About a month ago, Arroyo announced that the government relief fund for the year was completely spent, so the provinces and barangay governments are stuggling to do what they can. The main TV station here has had a 12-hour telethon today for people to call and donate goods and funds. Many of the large businesses are donating, but it's seriously a drop in the bucket. Judging by the radio announcer we were listening to in the car, though, the citizens are stepping up and making donations of clothing and food to their local churches and NPOs. Hopefully, as the water levels go down, people will also be available to help rebuild and clean, too.

Arroyo is not popular at the moment. Not only was the fund depleted before the year was up, but a month or two ago she went to The States to visit with Obama. Not only was that a pricy trip (it wasn't just her, it was an entire entourage of people), but while she was there, they all went to a restaurant in NYC that cost $1,000 a piece. There was OUTRAGE in the country when that factoid was leaked, and now people are angry that she even went on the trip in the first place with the disaster funds so close to being depleted with several months of the wet season still ahead. The comment pages of news articles here are full of diatribes against how she's been handling this. I don't think her party has a chance of holding on to the presidency after this.

We are without water, because out water treatment plant is submerged at the moment. They are going to be sending us water from another facility for a few hours in the morning and evening until things are back up to speed. In the meantime, we are very grateful for the pool. We can use water from it to flush toilets and take bucket-showers while this lasts. Adam thought to order some extra water on Saturday, so we still have about 25 gallons of drinking water, which should last us for a week.

Once again, I would make the appeal that if you are able, you make a donation to one of the charities involved in the rescue efforts. I know that LDS Emerergency Response, the Red Cross, and the Salvation Army have all been mobilized, and they all have branches in the US so you can donate in dollars. Prayers, fasting, and spreading the word would all, also, be appreciated for the people who have been affected.