Local resident heads up drive for typhoon victims

Separated from his family in the Philippines by some 8,000 miles, James Diehl has had some anxious moments over the past few weeks.

After the shock of an earthquake Oct. 15, Diehl had to watch as Typhoon Haiyan moved toward the country. He was out of contact with his family for 16 hours. “It was a nervous time,” he said. “But they are fine.”

Diehl's wife, Dottie, and two daughters, Christina and Isabella, are living with her ill father in Cepu City, which was not the epicenter of the storm. “But they still received significant damage that has not been in the news,” Diehl said. Diehl works in Georgetown as the director of marketing and communications for the Sussex County Association of Realtors.

Partnering with the Filipino-American Society of Delaware, Diehl is assisting the relief effort by collecting items at the Sussex County Association of Realtors along Route 9 near Georgetown.

Diehl said he can accept cash donations at the office or checks can be mailed to: Typhoon Haiyan Relief Fund, 396 Cypress Way, Bear, DE 19701.

Diehl said he plans to take donated items to Wilmington Wednesday, Nov. 27, for shipping.

“We'll take anything other than perishable food,” Diehl said. “The people affected by this storm have lost everything, and they don't have insurance to rebuild. Hundreds of thousands of displaced people have nowhere to go. There is going to be a need there for years.”

A New York cargo company is working with the Filipino-American Society to ship everything free of charge. Once items arrive in the Philippines, they will be distributed by the ABS-CBN Save Our Family Members Foundation, the charitable arm of the Philippines' largest TV network.

Phone Diehl at 855-2300, ext. 205, or via his cell phone at 302-222-4390 for more information.