On Saturday, September 26, 2009, Pearl Malagapo woke up to a dreadful rainstorm while asleep at her friend's house in Cainta, Rizal in the Philippines. Malagapo and her friends carried pieces of their furniture up to the second story of the house in an attempt to save them from the flood water that seeped through cracks and into the entire first floor. By the time the water reached halfway through the stairs, they gave up and went upstairs to pray for God to save them.

Typhoon Ketsana, otherwise known as Typhoon Ondoy, hit the Philippines and left a devastating scene. The typhoon poured twice the amount of rain that Hurricane Katrina produced within a day. According to the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), the typhoon brought down 455 mm (17.9 inches) of rain on Metro Manila and the surrounding areas in a span of twenty-four hours.

"We had no food, no water, and no electricity," Malagapo says. "We just watched from the second floor as the deluge swallowed everything on the first floor and our cars in the garage." A friend rented rubber boats from their neighbor to bring her back home to Ortigas, which was typically a two-hour drive but took four hours with the boat. "The boat would scrape the ground when it was knee-deep so we had to walk," she says. "The water was heavy, there were oil leaks everywhere, and there was a current so we had to fight it to get to the other end." American Navy Officers and the Philippine Red Cross volunteers collaborated to help people from the flood.

John D. Borra, a professor of literature in the University of Asia and the Pacific in the Philippines, organized what they called the Megatent Relief Center right after the typhoon. "During the first day, [they] already had over one hundred volunteers," recalls, Pearl. "There was one day when they were able to send out 450,000 bags of relief goods." The center was open twenty-four hours a day. "I dragged my friends along and even our parents helped out," she says. "It was a great experience. Everyone was helping out and the goods came from individuals, families, corporations, and companies. A lot people helped out and gave their time, even when we had so little to give."

Ricialg Panlaqui's relatives were living in Pasig City when the typhoon hit. "My mom [first] found out about it through TFC (The Filipino Channel)," she says. "She couldn't really sleep and was stressed out because she didn't hear from our family for a couple of days. I was completely shocked. It was one of those things you think that would never happen to people you know but it did." Ricialg's family has already donated money to Blue Cross and TXTPower while her mother is currently gathering clothes to send to their relatives. On the other side of the world, families, relatives, and friends of the victims of this disaster worried and stressed about their loved ones back home.

Here in the Bay Area, fundraisers and donation drives have been in full swing since the devastation in the Phillipines became apparent. Individuals and collectives are asking friends and family to participate in donating to relief efforts or spending a night out at one of the club sponsored fundraisers that let people enjoy themselves while supporting the cause.

When 27-year-old Keesa Ocampo decided to organize a fundraiser, she turned to Facebook. Through friends and promoters, Ocampo and her crew managed to drum up a crowd large enough to fill the main area of the club and collect nearly $8,000 in one night at Lot 46 in San Francisco. The proceeds will go to the Phillipines based ABS-CBN, which has received nearly four million dollars in donations as of October 21, serving 535,235 families thus far.

"Initially, rescue kits were given which included food, potable water, clothing, hygiene kits, blankets, first aid, etc.," says Ocampo. "Today, we're operating soup kitchens, funding regular medical missions, cleaning up schools, and installing shower facilities at evacuation centers like Ultra. This is what donors' money has been helping fund."

Manila-born Ocampo is no stranger to community organizing, though she admits that it can be tough. "It's hard when you're focusing on one community," says Ocampo, though the event brought out individuals from many backgrounds. Invites were sent entirely online, mostly through social networking sites. "A lot of the more active people in the community tend to be younger," says Ocampo. "We have a huge responsibility."

As for what college students can do, Ocampo recommends small donations as well as continuing a dialogue about climate change. "Make it your business to talk about global warming," says Ocampo.

San Francisco State University students are already doing their part to help. The League of Filipino Students co-hosted a benefit at Poleng lounge on October 13, co-sponsored by John Avalos, Chris Daly, Eric Mar, League of Filipino Students, Kappa Psi Epsilon, League of Pissed off Voters, and Bayan-USA.

With a modest turnout of sixty people, the event still raised $2115, taking $1665 at the door and $450 in online donations. "Considering that the event was from 8-10 p.m. on a Tuesday night and raised $2115 at Poleng, I'd say that we met our goal," says Jessica Antonio, chairperson of SF State's League of Filipino Students.

The proceeds will go to Bayan Phillipines, an organization helping to pinpoint the areas in most need and oversee distribution of aid gathered from their many divisions, including the Bayan-USA branch. The League of Filipino Students is continuing their fund raising efforts with a movie screening on campus and with plans to set up tables for donations.

"LFS is working with PACE, Kappa Psi Epsilon, and XPO to get a collective effort to raise funds for the relief... we are planning to table to collect donations from anyone walking by in the student center or Malcolm X Plaza," said Antonio.

Despite efforts of Filipino Americans to help, the collected donations from events and charities have been sitting in a corner waiting to be shipped to the Philippines due to the Philippine government. "They were saying that [organizations] that aren't registered under the Department of Social Welfare and Development have to pay taxes for your donations," says Anthony Navarro, who works at the Filipino Community Center (FCC). "It's some bullshit. Some couriers like LBC [cargo company] have been told by the Philippine government not to accept these donations or else they will be penalized. There's been hella efforts to help out the Philippines but the government is pulling some bureaucracy bullshit." The FCC itself has eighty boxes waiting to be shipped out directly to organizations they have partnered with to make sure the donated goods get to the people who need them the most. "When you give them to government organizations like the Red Cross or National Guard, we don't know who these goods are going to," he says.

If you or someone you know is interested in helping the victims of Ketsana, check out http://news.abs-cbn.com/public-service/10/10/09/sagip-kapamilya-operations-update or contact the League of Filipino Students at SF State. [X]