My freshman year of college (2001) I lived in a dorm room next to two girls from New York City. I remember watching them try to call friends and family frantically on 9/11 and the days after but all the lines were tied up.

Since I know how hard it is for folks trying to check on their family after a disaster, I thought I would share this link which has a few good tips for people trying to contact loved ones in the recently hit Philippines. And here's an update on the latest regarding the storm - the strongest in world history - and recovery effort.