Typhoon Odette, one of the world's strongest typhoons in 2021, continues to intensify and ravage large parts of Visayas and Mindanao. Tatler lists legitimate donation drives for people who wish to help its victims
The year may not end well for the victims of super typhoon Rai in the Philippines. Known locally as Odette, the storm forced thousands of Visayan residents to flee from their homes and seek refuge in evacuation centres—cold and worried about what they left behind.
Where is The 'Super Typhoon'?
Odette is considered one of the world's most terrifying storms in 2021. It slammed into the eastern Philippines on Thursday afternoon, December 16, bringing strong rains and widespread flooding across the area.
According to Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration's (PAG-ASA) initial weather updates, the storm intensified rapidly as it approached the coast. The agency placed its strength from a Category 1 to a Category 5 storm in just a span of 24 hours.
By the time Odette made a landfall on Siargao Island, the storm has sustained winds of 260 kilometres (160 miles) per hour with gusts over 300 kilometres (150 miles) per hour.
Through local government efforts, there have already been 198,000 people evacuated from their homes.
See also: Typhoon Season Dos And Don'ts: How To Stay Safe This Rainy Season
How are the Evacuees? Lack of Coverage?
Many of typhoon Odette's victims can only rely on the Internet for immediate support and coverage. While local media organisations are on top of their typhoon coverage, there is still a huge number of people whose stories never made it on air.
The closure of ABS-CBN, one of the country's biggest networks, may have contributed to this problem. The media agency is known for reaching far-flung communities through their regional radio stations.
ABS-CBN used to have 21 regional stations, with an estimated reach of 70 million viewers and listeners across the country. In 2020, the House of Representatives did not grant the franchise of the broadcast giant.
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While we may not see much of the devastating events, there are donation drives that are willing to send our help to people in need. Tatler has listed some of them below:
*This article is updated from time to time. Please refresh regularly
