Local Groups Rush To Help Those In The Philippines

BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- Desperation in the Philippines. Millions of residents are struggling to survive after Typhoon Haiyan left much of the area in ruins. Aid is slowly starting to arrive.

Mike Hellgren has more on how local organizations are helping out.

From the air, you can see entire towns that Typhoon Haiyan leveled in the Philippines. On the ground, a humanitarian crisis is developing.

Sonia Neumeier is one of many Filipino Marylanders working to bring life-saving aid there. Her hometown in the Iloilo province is gone. Her almost-90-year-old mother now lives in a shelter.

"The more I watch television and look at those images, the worse off I get," she said.

But the retired Army nurse is determined to turn her grief into action.

"You feel helpless because you cannot control what's happening. You can only control what you do. The only way I could really affect them is to do these fundraising events," she said.

She's not alone.

At the River of Life International Church in White Marsh, members of the congregation--some of whom have lost loved ones--immediately gathered donations.

"The response, especially from our own Filipino community, is amazing. It's tremendous," said Rev. Benjamin Uybengkee. "Family is very dear to us. We don't know the purpose of why this happened to us but we know there's a blessing coming."

Below are several options to help those devastated by the typhoon:

Catholic Relief Services
1-877-HELP-CRS
http://www.crs.org

Rotary Club of Pikesville-Owings Mills
c/o Sonia Neumeier
601 Academy Avenue
Owings Mills, MD 21117
http://www.disasteraidusa.com/

River of Life International Church
Drop off donations 8 a.m. - 8 p.m.
10939 Philadelphia Road
White Marsh, MD

Foundation for Aid to the Philippines, based in Hunt Valley http://www.fapi.org/

More Donation Resources From CBS
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-202_162-57611684/typhoon-haiyan-typhoon-yolanda-recovery-how-you-can-help/

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