Cedar Park Rotary seeks typhoon relief donations

For the first time, donations made by Rotary Club of Cedar Park members and supporters are able to fund tent and emergency equipment for families made homeless by Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines.

"Estimates we've heard say that 80 percent of those structures in the area impacted by the typhoon were destroyed," Rotary Club secretary Ken Burgess said on Nov. 20.

The Nov. 8 storm devastated the Pacific island nation and the lives of at least 11 million people, according to national reports. As of Nov. 18 the death toll had reached 3,974, with 1,186 people reported missing.

Rotary Club members were already working with an organization on the ground, ShelterBox.

"There are two ways to go: either go through the Red Cross, or go through ShelterBox," Burgess said.

The local Rotary Club has already funded one whole ShelterBox, at a cost of $1,000. Previously the club's members had contributed only a portion of the cost of a ShelterBox, which includes a portable stove and cookware, a tent that can be subdivided for privacy, blankets, first-aid items, tools and more.

It's the next-best option to building a house for residents displaced by the storm, Burgess said.

The Rotary Club invites others to help by donating online through ShelterBoxUSA.org or on the club's site.