Typhoon Haiyan

With the devastating news of Typhoon Haiyan causing widespread death and destruction in the Philippines, I thought it would be good to discuss it with Philip.  I am of Filipino ancestry and still have relatives, including my grandmother, living there.  Fortunately they live north of where the typhoon hit and were not immediately affected.  Still, it was hard to see the images of destruction and despair coming from a place close to my heart.

Philip and I read some news articles about what happened and discussed ways we could help.  "Donate money," he spelled.  We proceeded to go to the computer and make a donation towards the relief efforts in that area through Food For the Hungry, an organization we have been intimately involved in for a few years.  We also learned about hurricanes (which are called typhoons in the Indian and Pacific Oceans) in a Brain Pop lesson.  Philip recalled experiencing hurricanes when we were living in Miami.  "We developed a plan to evacuate," he recalled.  "We boarded them (the windows) up."

Then Philip decided to write a story about the typhoon.

Typhoon

I am living in the Philippines during the typhoon.  No one in my family survived but me.  A hole replaces a house.  An entrance remains.  There is no food or water to drink.  At such a time I need people to help us.  I am stranded.  I am going into madness.  I am not stopping, not giving away hope, until it gets better.  The End.

Boarding up for our first hurricane, Frances, in 2004

Typhoon's destruction