Common Responses to Tragedy: Tropical Storm Sendong

In the last few years, several large natural disasters devastated the Philippines like Typhoon Ondoy. Most recently, Tropical Storm Sendong slammed Cagayan de Oro. As a result, there are equally several natural responses. Here's a few I've observed:

Naysayers

It's the same thing all over again. They should have invested in flood levees. Those people should know better. That donation money never goes to the right individuals. My contribution doesn't get very far. It's all a scam. They got what was comin'. The government is out of whack. Why am I reading this post? You get the point.

Information Transfer

It's content around the water-cooler. We're compelled (smh, omg) and feel for victims and survivors, but that's about it. We go back to our offices, homes, churches and life goes on.

We empathize by sharing. Increasing awareness towards helping a tragedy seems like the right thing to do. A few likes here and there and we're done. Here's a few headlines we use for the posts:

• Let's continue to pray for them.
• Have you seen this video?
• How tragic!
• I can't believe this is happening.

Don't get me wrong. There's nothing wrong with sharing info. It increases awareness for help, but seldom is there any ownership of responsibilities. At most, it requires a group of movers.

Movers

The ability to foresee and plan is imperative. In fact, it is necessary. However, there are times when unexpected twists come along despite preparation. Movers plan for detours. Not only do they transfer info, they share knowledge and provide opportunities to help.

Like my friend, @jaylegaspi says, "sometimes we are the greatest answers to victims' prayers and needs". The Red Cross is a group of movers that are great in responding to tragedy. Here's more info, http://www.redcross.org.ph/donatenow.

In addition, the UNICEF Philippines site is available for donations here, https://donate.unicef.ph/emergency-donation.php.

Who's on your list? If you have movers in your area or know of individuals/organizations contributing to this latest tragedy, let me know.