Month: September 2009

Volunteers! HELP: Plotting out Ondoy emergency areas

Post author By Jayvee Fernandez
Post date September 28, 2009
4 Comments on Volunteers! HELP: Plotting out Ondoy emergency areas

For those of you who are stuck at home and have Internet connection, it would be much appreciated if you could help update this spreadsheet. The Typhoon Ondoy Mapping Team is a group of volunteers who are marking affected areas via Google Maps. The form is very easy to use. It provides very good context on the location and situation of affected areas and victims.

Please pass the links along and help update. Be sure to check for double entries before posting.

Link to the actual map: http://bit.ly/ondoymap

Link to the team and how to use: http://sites.google.com/site/ondoymanila/about-the-team

Here’s Google’s Official Response:

Responding to Typhoon Ondoy in the Philippines

We are very saddened by the loss of life and the displacement of hundreds of thousands of people in Metro Manila and nearby areas caused by Typhoon Ondoy. To increase awareness of how Filipinos at home and overseas can stay up to date and aid in relief efforts, dozens of Google volunteers around the world have been working throughout the weekend and today to compile information about the disaster on this site: www.google.com.ph/landing/typhoon-ondoy.html.

The site contains a volunteer-maintained map of flood updates and persons needing rescue, the latest news from local media sources, a list of verified donation sites and emergency hotlines. It is also linked from Google.com.ph to give easy access to the 25 million Internet users in the Philippines and many more around the world.

Our effort is but one of many being organized by countless individuals and organizations across the country in the spirit of bayanihan, to help those affected by this disaster as quickly and as comprehensively as possible.

Thanks

This information is being used in conjunction with the big networks GMA and ABS-CBN to help locate missing people and send food and other supplies.

Tags Google Maps, How to volunteer for Ondoy, Ondoy, Spreadsheets, Volunteers

Mostly Everything

DiscOVIries Week 1 Contest: Your Workstation Photo

Post author By Jayvee Fernandez
Post date September 28, 2009
24 Comments on DiscOVIries Week 1 Contest: Your Workstation Photo

I hope everyone is safe. To bring back a sense of normalcy, I’m running a new contest. This will be going on every week till the end of November ’09!

UPDATE: If you win this round, you will have a chance to also win a brand new Nokia phone! This is the first contest within a series that will last till the end of November ’09. Lots of prizes to give away!

Yay! We’re giving away stuff. This is all thanks to Ovi by Nokia. Since a huge part of OVI in the Philippines is about sharing photos and videos with friends, I’ll be asking my readers who wish to join to share a little bit of themselves through photos. I will be giving out prizes for the next 8 thematic weeks to the lucky winners of my contest. Sorry, no bikinis this time. BUT … I have PHP 2,000.00 worth of Ayala eGC’s up for grabs, which is really just as good as cold cash, more than enough to buy a bikini.

I was thinking of a fun and easy to do theme for the first week. For the duration of week one, I want you to take a photo of your workstation(s) at home or at … work and upload the shots to my OVI dropbox (the password for the folder is “ovi” if asked). Make sure you include your name, OVI email address, and a description of your workstation. Don’t be shy — it doesn’t need to be geeky! You can upload as many unique photos of your workstations as you want provided that you follow the guidelines. As an example, I’ve uploaded my workstation photo above.

I have a 2 monitor setup (the other monitor behind the MacBook isn’t being used). The ACER desktop is mainly for gaming. I have 2 external HD’s, my TLR camera, multifunction printer, a Belkin WLAN router, several twisted cables and my PADI hat 😉 The other MacBook is in the other room.

Contest Mechanics:
1. This contest is open from September 28 ’09 – October 4 ’09
2. Cut off date is every Sunday 11:59 PM
3. The prize for this week is P2,000.00 worth of Ayala Electronic Gift Check (which is actually as good as cash)
4. You need to be a resident of the Philippines

Contest Steps:
1. Create an OVI account and activate your OVI email address
2. Upload a photo onto my OVI share folder (what’s cool about OVI is the fact that you can create public folders where anybody can drop photos / video) following the theme (again, a photo of your workstation)
3. For every photo entry, you should have your name, OVI email address ([email protected]) and a short description about the photo

Tags DiscOVIries, Ovi by Nokia, Share, workstation

Mostly Everything

Red Cross Load Donations: The easiest way to help

Post author By Jayvee Fernandez
Post date September 26, 2009
2 Comments on Red Cross Load Donations: The easiest way to help

UPDATE: Here is a complete spreadsheet of all the drop off / donation centers if you wish to help. Thanks to Nina Terol for spreading this.

Right now the easiest way to make donations from the seat of your chair is via mobile phone load. The Red Cross Rescue and Relief Operations. Send RED to 2899 (Globe) and 4483 (SMART).

Here are other pertinent numbers which you can spread around.

Rescue Operations
1. National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) (+632-9125668, +632-9111406, +632-9115061)
2. Red Cross (143, +632-5270000)
3. MMDA (136)
4. Coast Guard (+632-5276136
5. Senator Dick Gordon (+639178997898, +63938-444BOYS)
6. Senator Manny Villar (+639174226800. +639172414864, +639276751981)

Rubber Boat Requests
1. NCRPO (+632-8383203, +632-8383354)

Relief Operations
1. Clare Amador (+63928-5205508) or Jana Vicente at +63928-5205499). Drop off for relief donations is at Balay Expo Center across Farmers Market Cubao.

[source]

Tags Hotline, Ondoy, Rescue