UPDATE on Sunday 25-Dec-2011 at 04:00 local:
It’s now early Christmas morning and I just returned from my shift at the Red Cross. The officials brought in a very nice dinner for all the volunteers and for a short while, there was a festive mood amongst the group. Then reality stepped-in and one of the group leaders showed a video that was taken when we did our supply delivery and aerial recon earlier that day – the room was absolutely silent and you could hear people weeping near the end of the video. A sobering way to spend Christmas eve, but each person was glad to be there, glad to do their part – glad to help in any way possible.

..
One of the UN officials described the devastation as looking “like an inland tsunami” – and he was right. It looks much like the Japan tsunami, except there is no devastation on the coast-line. Entire villages swept away by the rapidly rising flood waters, cars and trucks overturned and tossed like Tonka toys, lives ripped apart in a matter of minutes – in the middle of the night, with no warning. The current fear is that the final death toll might be as high as 3,000 after all the damage is assessed, all the bodies recovered and all the missing accounted-for. Much like Japan, we might never know the real number, because in some cases, whole families were swept away with no witnesses or family members to miss them. Very sad indeed.

..
Infrastructure is slowly being restored, but it will take months for all the areas to be cleared of debris, new utility poles and power cables to be installed, as well as homes rebuilt in order to take advantage of the newly supplied power. In the meantime, shelters are full and food distribution, fresh water and sanitation efforts are in full swing. This was my first time to experience the goodness of the UN efforts first-hand, as they unloaded almost 7,000-Tons of food and relief supplies – a sight for sore eyes in the region. I have often been a critic of the UN, saying things like it’s “past its prime”, but in cases like these, the UN is a God-send. Much like US-AID and the Red Cross, these efforts are non-political and without regard for race, creed, color or religion – one of the few times that we help, without expecting anything in return – I think it’s called selflessness – something the world could use more of (as well as personal-responsibility, but I digress).

..
I start my next shift at about 4pm, so I have a about 11 hours to rest and have a nice Christmas lunch. To all my friends back in the States – Merry Christmas..!  I hope that this holiday and the coming year bring wonderful blessings to you and your family.

..

UPDATE on Friday 23-Dec-2011 at 14:30 local:
I arrived in Manila on Wednesday eve and have been working with the Philippine Red Cross each evening in order to pass radio traffic between the disaster site and the National Headquarters here in Manila. The situation there in Mindinao to the south is dire, with over 1,050 confirmed dead, many hundreds more missing and over 350,000 displaced or homeless. Power is just now being restored some areas, but most still do not have water, power, sanitation or adequate food.

..
Again, amateur radio was one of the first to respond, with over 100 volunteers on-scene, working with the Red Cross in Mindinao within the first 8 hours after daylight, helping to relay tactical traffic, with another 2-4 stations enabled with HF capability to talk to national HQ in Manila – an impressive volunteer effort, in the face of unspeakable suffering.

..
I have been invited to accompany a group who will be doing a follow-up aerial recon of the area. The task should not take more than 10 hours total (yeah, right), but I have no firm start time, since I have been put on 4-hour on-call for wheels-up. Spartan accommodations to be sure, since we will be riding with about 45-tons of food and emergency supplies in a C-130 (think: LOUD). It should be a same-day trip, but prudence still applies, so I will have my 24-hour go-kit with me in case of delays (energy bars, medication, change of clothes, insect repellant, personal hygiene supplies, etc).

..
As you guys know, Amateur Radio Emergency Services is an important part of my non-work life and to be here at a time of huge need, with the right skills, qualifications and licenses – during one of the most important religious holidays is quite special indeed. It is my hope that my service will enable at least one other volunteer to have Christmas Eve with their family, while the relief efforts continue 24/7.

..
Just got word – looks like we have a scheduled wheels-up time of 07:00 local on Saturday, which translates to 18:00 Friday in Florida. We’ll depart from the Manila Air Force base which shares runways with the Civilian International Airport. It’s a 45 minute trip by C-130, so we should arrive a couple of hours after first light – in time for an aerial recon, as well as touch-down in the morning, followed by a couple of hours of off-loading.

..

UPDATE on Thursday 22-Dec-2011 at 04:25 local
Having worked my first “shift” at the Red Cross Comm Center, I can report that the situation is far worse than the international news media have probably reported. Over 1,026 reported confirmed dead 3 hours ago and over 285,000 homeless and in temporary shelters. When compared on a per-capita basis, this disaster is larger in scope than Hurricane Katrina was to the United States. Bodies everywhere according to the pictures streaming into the command center. Cell phone service is being restored using COW’s (Cellular on Wheels), but the problem for most is the loss of their phones, since the flash floods occurred in the middle of the night – most of the survivors were lucky to get themselves and their children out alive. Even if they have their phone, there is no power, water, food or sanitation facility, so communicating (other than locating lost ones) is not high on their priority list.

Amateur radio continues to provide support to the area, relaying situation reports, requests for aid, supply requests, etc – all while trying to keep the cell phone channels clear for emergency traffic and for Search-and-Rescue. The operators in DU-land are to be commended for their valiant efforts in supporting their fellow countrymen during this, the most sacred of (Christian) religious holidays. My hat is off to them..!

More updates over the next couple of days
——-
ORIGINAL POST
With over 900 deaths confirmed and hundreds more still missing, this is becoming the worst weather calamity in the last few years. Amateur radio is already a critical communications link for the area, with many tens of teams of radio operators converging on the area. Most tactical operation is on VHF in the 430Mhz range, while national coordination is being facilitated on 40M.

..
I am in the region and will be going to the Philippine Red Cross offices in Manila on Wednesday afternoon to assist in their operation, manning the HF station for a few scheduled shifts, trying to give the local operators a break. HF is the critical link for the operators in Cagayan de Oro to make resource requests to the national HQ of the Red Cross, as well as to give status reports. I am privileged to know a number of the hams who routinely assist in these weather disasters and it is an honor to spend my Christmas holiday with them, helping their fellow countrymen. What started as a working vacation has turned into an opportunity to serve. Luckily, I brought my Icom IC-92AD with me, so I’m equipped for local communication. It always pays to have at least a minimal “Go-Kit” with you – in my case, I also always have an Inmarsat satellite phone whenever I travel anywhere in the world.

..
Any readers wishing to help are encouraged to donate to the Philippine Red Cross at http://www.redcross.org.ph/