Help Tsuki's Birth Family Rebuild After 2 Cyclones
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HELP! I’m Tsuki in Vermont, desperate for donations for my birth family in Bicol Region, Philippines who suffered flooding (15ft) in their homes from Tropical Cyclone Trami / Kristine. This forced my family to retreat their own bodies AND possessions to their rooftops— where they sleep, eat, and dry / clean damaged items.
UPDATE (as of today 11/13/24): Tonight, another cyclone might hit them for a THIRD time! The 2nd was on 11/9/24, tearing off the roofs of some of my relatives’ houses, and depriving them of electricity. You’ll see a few more added emergency items—which may change as I try to adjust to their lack of Wi-Fi connection / updates:
BELOW IMAGE: Marie-Joe Noceto’s ’s family retreating to the top of their house.
In the below video, I met my birth family for the first time in the Philippines:
You would be aiding 3 different households of my giant birth family. The below list will change, daily, depending on when they get WiFi connection OR figure out the exact price for some of the “?” items.
The following list is in U.S. dollars—of lost, damaged, or essential possessions:
FOOD:
-Clean water = $4
-1 sack of rice = $40
-Eggs = $2
-Canned goods, Instant Noodles, pasta, sugar, coffee, milk = $20
EMERGENCY SUPPLIES:
-USB Charging Flashlight = $3.05
-Pay expert to repair Refrigerator = $30
-Tarp = $60
-Emergency Re-chargeable Portable Flood Lights = $235
-Ointment for fungal infections = $2
-Masks = ???
HYGIENE:
-Soaps + detergents = $10
-Toothpaste = $2
CLOTHES:
-Children’s underwear = $15
-Mud boots = $8
-Towels = ???
CLEANING (damage and flooding):
-Cleaning supplies = $5
-Vacuum = $86
FURNITURE:
-8 pieces of Yero (roof steel) + carpenter’s pay = $180 (estimate)
-Stove burner = $14
-Thermos = $6
-Dress Cabinet = $86
-Washing Machine (carried away in flood) =$343
-4 Foams Mattresses = $343
SCHOOL SUPPLIES:
-Laptop = $171
-General supplies + uniform = $52
JOB:
-$65 = transportation from Naga City to Manila (for a potential Truck Driver interview).
NOTE: If you’re able, please aid in top-priority transportation for my cousin, Marie-Joe: HER husband is about to drive 8.5hrs from Naga City to Manila, to acquire this a potential Truck Driver job. Also, Marie-Joe needs to pay their repairman for her fridge, which is a source of their income—because she sells “palamig”(juice) to students; she stores that juice in this fridge (below image):
BELOW IMAGE: The flooded house of cousin Marie-Joe Noceto.
BELOW IMAGE: destroyed walkway to cousin Rhon Condez’s house entrance.
(Rhon Condez’s house was flooded by their adjacent river).
ABOVE IMAGE: Entrance to cousin Rhon Condez’s chapel, flooded.
ABOVE IMAGE: A wider shot of the walkway to the river and entrance to the Condezs’ house.
ABOVE IMAGE: If you’re able, help the best friend of Mila (my birth sister) whose roof got torn off, too, in the 2nd cyclone (on 11/9/24).
OUR STORY: I met my birth family back in 2022, so I have a lot of fond memories in these exact homes: karaoke, biking, playing and witnessing a Christian mass in cousin Rhon’s chapel—which is attached to their living quarters.This giant family of cousins hosted me for most of my 2-week visit there—so it would be heartless of me to not return the favor. I know the world is a depressing place during this climate change and political heat—with all these causes competing for your attention—so, please, a few U.S. dollars would make a BIG difference in Filipino pesos.
ABOVE IMAGE: You’d be giving a roof tarp and giant Emergency Rechargeable Flood Lights to Mila (birth sister) and Keith (niece). This was my 1st in-person photo with them—outside the Legazpi Airport, with Mt. Mayon looming behind us (volcano).
ABOVE IMAGE: You’d put on a roof tarp and emergency flood flights to Noema (my birth mother).
ABOVE IMAGE: You’d be giving a roof tarp and Emergency Rechargeable Flood Lights to Jeffrey (my birth brother) and Rhina (his wife)—both are taking care of my birth mother, currently.
ABOVE PHOTO: When I gave my newly-purchased cowgirl hat to my lil’ niece, Fiona, and kept my old one.
ABOVE PHOTO: You’d be giving Bambi (left) a storage box for her clothes that washed away. She translated a lot for me, guided me through markets, karaoaked / chatted with me, tried Kali with me. (Shekinah = my niece [long T-shirt]; Jeffrey (birth brother) and his wife, Rhina).
ABOVE PHOTO: You’d pay their fridge’s repairman and provide job transportation to my cousin Marie-Joe Noceto andher husband—and fungal medicine/ food / clothes for their son, Jaimes. (My aunt “Ning” [left]; Marie-Joe’s son, Jaimes [middle] ).
You’d be fixing the walkway, providing a new washer machine, vacuum for the flood, mattresses, and school supplies to the family of my cousin Rhon Condez—and his wife, Chu.
Rhon drove us everywhere, making sure I saw as much as Pili as possible: the famous Hibiscus Hotel, zoos, rice paddies, watching relatives climb and cut down coconuts, etc. Mila (my birth sister) brought me to my birth house, the surrounding rice paddies and “carabao”, and nearby aunts living in their own secluded village; and treated me to a day at a water-skiing resort and gorgeous abandoned park. She, Chu, and Bambi always schemed behind my back on which foods to cook and introduce me to, or which restaurants to treat me to. Ron’s daughters, Shekinah, Fiona, and Bambi (“adopted” friend of fam)—and cousin Marie-Joe—sang karaoke with me, watched movies with me, learned Kali with me (Filipino martial arts), and toured me through the markets and neighborhoods of Pili, Camarine Sur.
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UPDATE (as of today, 11/13/24):
" ‘MAN-YI’ (Pepito) MAY HIT NCR, SOUTH AND CENTRAL LUZON:
Tropical storm ‘Man-Yi’ (to be called ‘Pepito’ as it enters PAR) continues its path towards the Philippines and may enter the Philippine Area of Responsibility on Thursday night.
Current PAGASA weather models predict the storm to slice straight through Bicol Region, NCR, and Central Luzon but the weather bureau said that its exact path is too early for prediction.
The storm is currently carrying sustained winds of 65 km/h but rapid intensification into a typhoon is expected within the coming days.
Please stay tuned for more updates.
*Please note that ‘Pepito’ is the tropical cyclone that comes after ‘Ofel’—which is currently inside PAR moving towards North Luzon.
️: Himawari-9”
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1st TROPICAL STORM KRISTINE (10/21/24):
-2,077,643 people affected (total).
-431,738 families affected.
-500 mm of rainfall flooded streets and entire villages (more than a month’s average).
-8,786 passengers, truck drivers, and cargo helpers stranded at 126 ports (nation-wide)
-17,764 schools disrupted (across 79 divisions in 12 regions).
-7,376,679 students affected.
-3,44,125 teachers AND non-teaching personnel affected.
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2ND CYCLONE (11/9/24):
”Tropical Cyclone Wind Signals In Effect (TCWS):
-TCWS No. 1
-Wind threat: Strong winds
-Warning lead time: 36 hours
-Range of wind speeds: 39 to 61 km/h (Beaufort 6 to 7)
-Potential impacts of winds: Minimal to minor threat to life and property.
-Luzon Province:
The southeastern portion of Isabela (Dinapigue), the northern portion of Aurora (Dilasag, Casiguran, Dinalungan), the southeastern portion of mainland Quezon (Calauag, Guinayangan, Tagkawayan), Pollilo Islands, Camarines Norte, Camarines Sur, Catanduanes, and the northeastern portion of Albay (Malinao, Tiwi, City of Tabaco, Bacacay, Malilipot, Rapu-Rapu) .”
Organizer
Tsuki Puddicombe
Organizer
Stowe, VT