I guess it all goes back to Netroots Nation when I met Gordon Soderberg and got to talk with him at length. He is the driver of the the Vererans Green Bus and an activist with Team Rubicon. He talked about his experiences responding to the Superstorm Sandy disaster. It was quite an inspiring account by an someone who was grassroots organizer and disaster responder. It made me want to do something similar.
Gordon Soderberg speaks with Howard Dean at NN13.
Then last month on the 15th of October a massive 7.2 magnitude quake savagely shook the central Philippines, with the epicenter on the island of Bohol home to 1.26 million people. As it happens I was already planing a trip to the Philippines including a visit to Bohol, so when I heard the news I wanted to do something to help. I searched the internet for opportunities to volunteer when I came across a group set up to help in disasters like this one orginizing a response with people stepping up from all around the world to lend their assistance, named Helping Hands Volunteers' Project Bohol
So I will be beginning three weeks of working as a volunteer in the earthquake recovery effort two weeks from today. Here's a description of what the work involves:
Project Bohol
In response to a vast need for “safe-ing” structures, we will work to take down precarious homes that owners and neighbors are afraid to enter. We will also do deconstruction in order to salvage valuable materials for rebuilding, and we will be clearing rubble. Pending funding, we envision a rebuild program that includes constructing resilient core shelters on the affected homeowners’ properties.
We're asked to bring our own tents to stay in since shelter is in short supply with tens of thousands of people still displaced from their homes.
I've never asked for money here on Daliy Kos until now. All Hands needs your support to host me and volunteers like me. This is likely to be a sustained effort too with the need for help for the residents of Bohol not diminishing anytime soon. So I set up a personal fundraising page. Help All Hands Volunteers cover the costs of my three weeks working with Project Bohol
If things were't bad enough for the people of Bohol now I see they are bracing for the possibility of direct strike by Tropical Cyclone Yolanda as it moves toward the Visayas as the Central Philippines is known. Some towns on Bohol are under mandatory evacuation orders.
Super typhoon forecast to hit the Philippines
The radar image makes Yolanda look like a real monster.
My fingers are crossed tonight. I hope I'm not going to be responding to a double disaster.