Madeira tragedy + relief fund

As you may have heard, last Saturday February 20th, there were devastating floods and mudslides on the island of Madeira.  Based on government estimations, there could be as many as 42 victims of this tragedy.  With at least 120 people injured.

On Monday, the government declared three days of mourning. 

On the left, is the cover of the recent edition of the national Portuguese newspaper, O Publico.  It is terribly sad what has happened to this island.  They need as much assistance as possible at this point.

Cristiano Ronaldo, who is from Madeira, has paid tribute to the victims - during a recent match, after scoring a goal he lifted his shirt to reveal a white t-shirt with "Madeira" written on it.   He later offered his assistance. 

Being that I'm living in Canada, I looked for a way to help, and I found a web site that is currently accepting donations to help - a disaster relief fund.     PLEASE DONATE!  Even $5 will go a long way if we all donate.  Another way to help is if you were planning on visiting the island, make sure you still do, as this island's major industry is tourism, and although things don't look fantastic at the moment (especially when you see all the videos and photos of the tragedy), the government is making sure they clean up - so tourism dollars will be a major part of their recovery.  I would call ahead and make sure that all will be well with the planned holiday, but wouldn't necessary cancel.