POTSDAM – Two Canton-Potsdam Hospital physicians are raising awareness and aid for victims of the recent typhoon in the Philippines.

Dr. Flos Piit has created a crowd-sourced fundraising website under the Red Cross, and, with Dr. Cynthia Baltazar, they both have designated collection locations for donations of gently used clothing and new personal hygiene products.

They are also reaching out to other members of the hospital’s medical staff for assistance, and are encouraging the public to participate.

“Each night, we imagine ourselves in the middle of all that destruction and it is truly heartbreaking,” said Piit, who has family on the islands in a location unaffected by the typhoon. “Hundreds of thousands of Filipinos have lost their homes, access to clean drinking water and their loved ones. The typhoon survivors need our help,” she said.

Because the typhoon wiped out most of the area’s transportation and communication networks, aid has been slow to arrive, due to challenges on the ground. Rescuers are using open-source maps to find towns and villages no longer in existence.

“In such devastation, people will turn to whatever sources of water and food are nearby, whether they are sanitary or not,” said Dr. Piit. “This means there is great potential for additional suffering from starvation, malnutrition, and water-borne illnesses,” she said.

“It’s so sad because we can’t do anything about the typhoon, but we can prevent disease and starvation,” she said.

According to the Red Cross, 10 American units have deployed to the areas of the Philippines hardest hit, and specialized units are arriving from other countries. The US government has also deployed Marine units and financial resources. Aid units work with local officials, including the Philippines Red Cross.

Typhoon Haiyan, known also as Typhoon Yolanda, plowed into the islands Friday, Nov. 8. Some meteorlogists say it was the most powerful storm on record ever to make landfall. The height of the storm surge in Tacloban, the city hardest hit, was 17 feet; by comparison, Hurricane Sandy’s surge was 13 feet and Katrina’s storm surge along the Louisiana coast was 25 feet.

Following damage from high winds, a storm’s surge can cause the most damage, experts. According to scientists, typhoons, hurricanes, and cyclones are different names used in different oceanic areas that all represent the same weather phenomena.

Officials are still counting the dead from Typhoon Haiyan. As of Nov. 18, the number stood at 3,982 dead and 1,602 missing.

“I know at this time of year, people may have already committed their budget for donations to charities, and there are other pressing needs here in our own country,” said Baltazar. “North Country people are generous and kind; I’m hoping they’ll stretch their donation budget to help in this unprecedented emergency,” she said.

Donations of new or gently used items will be accepted at specific locations until Friday, Dec. 6. Donors should call the offices of Piit’s office at 261-5550 or Baltazar office at 262-2287 for more information.

To make a monetary donation at any time, interested individuals may visit Piit’s website, http://www.crowdrise.com/helpthephilippinesafterhaiyan/fundraiser/flospiit.