SAN DIEGO (KGTV) - Supplies are stacked throughout a Point Loma garage, soon to be headed to a region devastated by a super typhoon — and it all started with a 16-year-old with a special connection to the impacted area.
Devi Balachandra, a junior at High Tech High International who was born in Saipan, part of the Northern Mariana Islands east of the Philippines, launched a GoFundMe campaign and donation drive after receiving videos from family friends on the island showing the destruction left behind by Category 5 Typhoon Sinlaku, which made landfall more than 2 weeks ago. Thousands of homes were destroyed.
One video showed water dripping from the ceiling of a family friend's home after the roof peeled off. Another revealed a wind-ravaged property.
"It's kinda of amazing. We’ve had so many donations," Balachandra said.
She described the scenes unfolding in her family's garage over the past week as surreal.
"Completely strangers coming to our house dropping up hundreds of dollars in supplies out of the kindness of their heart," Balachandra said.
After our story aired two Wednesdays ago, donations poured into the GoFundMe campaign, and the garage went from near empty to overflowing with supplies.
"It's so heartwarming and encouraging to see everything that people have been doing," Balachandra said.
Balachandra said the effort is personal.
"This is a way for us to make some sort of difference. It was our home," Balachandra said in the previous interview.
On Saturday, Balachandra and two family members will fly to Saipan. Her ticket was originally purchased for an internship involving coral reefs, but the trip has turned into a relief mission — with 7 large suitcases in tow.
"Most everything people need urgently will go with us. That includes solar-powered fans, hygiene products, food," Balachandra said.
Other products, including tarps and tents, will be included in donations collected by a nonprofit to be sent by ship. Balachandra plans to distribute her supplies before volunteering at shelters.
When asked if she is prepared for what she will see, Balachandra did not hesitate.
"I don't think so, but my discomfort isn't what's important. What's important is helping them," Balachandra said.
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