Given our state's diverse population, many in our communities are affected by tragedies that occur all over the globe. So many of us in Hawai'i are immigrants or are descendants of immigrants, and watch for news from their native countries, where many of their friends and family have been left behind.

And when tragedy strikes, we find ways to help.

This was no less true when Typhoon Durian recently devastated the Bicol region of the Philippines. The disaster hit close to home for many in our Filipino-American community, who make up nearly 23 percent of our state's population. As reported in The Advertiser, the typhoon caps a year of natural disasters. In a country that already suffers economically, donations are crucial to help victims and to rebuild these communities.

According to Toy Arre, president of the Filipino Community Center, cash donations are the easiest and most effective way to help victims of the typhoon.

Watching news from overseas may not always be easy. It seems as though there are constantly stories of disasters that claim lives, leaving victims without the basics of food and shelter. After a while, it may be easy for many to become desensitized.

But no matter how many times we hear the same story, and no matter where on the globe the story comes from, every life — every person — is just as valuable, and worth extending a helping hand to.