By Tom Tracy - Florida Catholic
Photographer: Photo by Dondi Tawatao/Getty Images
Survivors ride a military truck on their way to the airport in Tacloban City on November 14, 2013 in Tacloban, Philippines. Typhoon Haiyan which ripped through Philippines over the weekend has been described as on of the most powerful typhoons ever to hit land, leaving thousands dead and hundreds of thousands homeless. Countries all over the world have pledged relief aid to help support those affected by the typhoon however damage to the airport and roads have made moving the aid into the most affected areas very difficult.
MIAMI | Before Super Typhoon Haiyan swept into the Pacific as the strongest storm in recorded history, Romelito Glabog was planning the baptism and related dinner party for his new son, Peter Francis.
But after making initial contact with family members back in a coastal town of Daanbantayan, in Cebu Province�s far northernmost area where storm damage was severe, Glabog arranged to wire $1,000 to his relatives, neighbors and even strangers.
A parishioner of Little Flower Church in Hollywood, Glabog is still looking forward to his son�s baptism but cancelled a sit-down dinner for 100 guests at a Filipino restaurant in order to offset the cash relief for his family back home.
�Daanbantayan is in a place where the typhoon made its fourth landfall: the city is very badly damaged and 90 percent of houses were totally wiped out or have no roofs,� he said, adding that he followed the storm on streaming live radio from the Philippines.
One reporter described the typhoon as �the whistle of death.�
�That area still has no power and is still hard to communicate with the families,� Glabog said Nov. 13 of the area north of Cebu. �I hope we could do what we did with Haiti (after the earthquake) in terms of South Florida people sharing some of the blessings we have here.�
A few days after the storm, Janet Macasero, coordinator of the Filipino Apostolate for the Miami Archdiocese, convened an emergency meeting of her core team members. They are using social media to build a network for sharing information about missing family members.
�We live each day knowing another friend of ours has been found, and one here with an immediate family was just found today,� said Macasero, a member of San Lazaro Parish in Hialeah.
She is still concerned about one close friend who worked for a shipping company in Tacloban and who remains unaccounted for following Haiyan.
�Facebook is one of the means of connecting with others. Technology is something we have to be thankful for as we are listening to streaming radio stations and (satellite) TV stations in our country,� Macasero said.
But after making initial contact with family members back in a coastal town of Daanbantayan, in Cebu Province�s far northernmost area where storm damage was severe, Glabog arranged to wire $1,000 to his relatives, neighbors and even strangers.
A parishioner of Little Flower Church in Hollywood, Glabog is still looking forward to his son�s baptism but cancelled a sit-down dinner for 100 guests at a Filipino restaurant in order to offset the cash relief for his family back home.
�Daanbantayan is in a place where the typhoon made its fourth landfall: the city is very badly damaged and 90 percent of houses were totally wiped out or have no roofs,� he said, adding that he followed the storm on streaming live radio from the Philippines.
One reporter described the typhoon as �the whistle of death.�
�That area still has no power and is still hard to communicate with the families,� Glabog said Nov. 13 of the area north of Cebu. �I hope we could do what we did with Haiti (after the earthquake) in terms of South Florida people sharing some of the blessings we have here.�
Photographer: Photo by Dondi Tawatao/Getty Images
A man and a woman in a wheelchair wear surgical masks to protect themselves in Tacloban City on November 14, 2013 in Tacloban, Philippines.
�We live each day knowing another friend of ours has been found, and one here with an immediate family was just found today,� said Macasero, a member of San Lazaro Parish in Hialeah.
She is still concerned about one close friend who worked for a shipping company in Tacloban and who remains unaccounted for following Haiyan.
�Facebook is one of the means of connecting with others. Technology is something we have to be thankful for as we are listening to streaming radio stations and (satellite) TV stations in our country,� Macasero said.
The community is looking at ways to organize some of their own shipments of supplies to the Philippines, she said, but such efforts will invariably take weeks to cross open seas.
�Personally it doesn�t matter whether the help is big or small. It�s every little bit that helps and the thought that counts � one or two dollars given with heart matters to me,� Macasero said.
Archdiocese accepts aid for Philippines
The Archdiocese of Miami is collecting contributions for the victims of Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines.
At the direction of Archbishop Thomas Wenski, all the archdiocesan parishes will hold a special second collection this weekend, Nov. 16-17.
The funds will be sent to Catholic Relief Services, which was already on the ground helping Filipinos affected by the 7.1 magnitude earthquake that hit the island in October.
Those wishing to make a donation can also do so by sending a check to the Archdiocese of Miami, 9401 Biscayne Blvd. Miami Shores, FL 33138, marked �relief efforts�.
To donate directly to Catholic Relief Services, go to www.crs.org or text RELIEF to 25383.
The Archdiocese of Miami is collecting contributions for the victims of Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines.
At the direction of Archbishop Thomas Wenski, all the archdiocesan parishes will hold a special second collection this weekend, Nov. 16-17.
The funds will be sent to Catholic Relief Services, which was already on the ground helping Filipinos affected by the 7.1 magnitude earthquake that hit the island in October.
Those wishing to make a donation can also do so by sending a check to the Archdiocese of Miami, 9401 Biscayne Blvd. Miami Shores, FL 33138, marked �relief efforts�.
To donate directly to Catholic Relief Services, go to www.crs.org or text RELIEF to 25383.
About 600,000 people have been made homeless or displaced and thousands are presumed killed by Haiyan, which struck the Philippines and the surrounding region Nov. 8. The massive, powerful storm left many far-flung villages and coastal towns without access to supplies, power, transportation or communications.
Some Florida Filipinos were unable to get in touch with family by phone one week after the storm. Others managed to do so, only to receive bad news.
Freda Juan, a wife and mother of three children who attend Little Flower in Hollywood, is grieving for two members of her extended family who perished in the typhoon; another is unaccounted for. Her brother, who lives in hard-hit Tacloban, managed to get to a place where he could call Florida with the news.
�He went to another island to get food and he was able to talk on his cell phone,� Juan said. �I asked how they are and if they are able to eat, where they are staying. Our house is damaged, totally wiped out.�
Understandably shaken by the events, Juan said she is especially distressed at knowing her mother and father are now taking shelter with other typhoon refugees at St. Joseph Parish in San Jose, Tacloban.
�I haven�t spoken to my mom and dad yet,� she said. �I am trying to ask friends to go to the church, find them and call me. We lost my mom�s sister-in-law and one of my cousins, and another is still missing.�
The Juan family had been planning a December trip to the Philippines in time for Christmas. Now the prospect of traveling there has taken on new meaning. Meanwhile, she worries about her parents.
�We hope they are able to eat and drink; I worry about them so much. Until now it has been a nightmare and I sometimes hope all this is not real.�
Currently, Filipinos are using two websites to find out about missing relatives and friends.
- One is the official Philippine government database: http://www.gov.ph/crisis-response/updates-typhoon-yolanda/casualties/
- The other is Google: http://google.org/personfinder/2013-yolanda/
This article was modified after publication to reflect the correct name of Romelito (not Romelio) Glabog; also, Daanbantayan was where the typhoon made its fourth landfall (not first).
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