Ang Kalatas Volume IV February 2014 Issue | Page 11

Volume 4 | Number 5
February 2014
www.kalatas.com.au

EDITORIAL & OPINION

11

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www.kalatas.com.au/category/columnists/

Ang Kalatas. Bringing into focus Filipino presence in Australia

ADOBO

(A Dose of Brown Opinion)

Danny Dingle

Untied…then united: the lessons of Yolanda

“

Typhoon Yolanda
untied the country’s
structures and institutions during its wake, but it united local
and global communities into frenetic action soon after. This is
the true lesson of Yolanda.”
When Yolanda unleashed
its fury on our calm shores, little did we expect that it would
also wreak untold havoc on an
unsuspecting archipelago that
was all too familiar with the onslaught of typhoons at least 20
times a year. But the October
2013 storm was different: it was
the strongest in living memory,
and it sure left an indelible mark
on the landscape. It untied the

country’s structures and institutions during its wake, but it
united local and global communities into frenetic action soon
after. This is the true lesson of
Yolanda.
The beautiful: The call to
action was swift; the response
even swifter. There was a
groundswell of support from
local organisations who started
their fundraising campaigns in
earnest. The first one I personally witnessed was at Blacktown
(NSW) station, two days after
Yolanda exited. Soon, there was
a proliferation - each group with
a marketing gimmick, each with
a chosen venue or platform;
each with a different set of vol-

unteers, each with a predefined
charity to support; but all with
a common goal - to assist the
victims of Yolanda. Global organisations opened their doors;
multinationals became more
charitable, countries sent aid,
and individuals – singers, actors, sports people, monarchs,
presidents, the Pope, etc – added their voice to the clarion call
for action. It was like the Java
tsunami plus New Orleans plus
Haiti appeals all rolled into one.
The local and global community spirits were almost unprecedented. Volunteerism was very
much alive, and bayanihan had )