For six long days after Typhoon Haiyan hit the central Philippines, members of Cherry Lou Mangrobang's family who didn't live in the stricken city of Tacloban shared phone calls and Facebook messages and feared the worst.
From Nov. 8, the day one of history's worst storms struck the region with 300 km/h winds, to last Thursday (Nov. 14), there was little the Squamish resident and her relatives living in both Canada and the Manila area could do but wait and sometimes weep over the lack of news about the fates of their 18 relatives who lived in the middle of what has become a disaster zone.
We were just really worried and all my cousins are on Facebook or on the phone and everyone in the family just crying, Mangrobang told The Chief on Monday (Nov. 18). Family members even began scanning every bit of news footage from Tacloban for the faces of their aunts, uncles, nieces and nephews. Still no word nothing.
Finally, we said, 'We cannot just wait here' So we started to plan. Three relatives who live in Manila decided to go down there to find out where they are even if they are dead, at least we know.
A week ago today, the family delegation sent out a text message to the others, letting them know that all 18 were alive hungry and thirsty, huddled together under one roof, but alive. It seems that the night before the storm, the family members who lived in Fisherman's Village just five minutes from Tacloban Airport had decided to get to higher ground. At first they went to a school that served as an evacuation centre, then to the home of a relative in another part of town.
The whole family stayed together in one house, Mangrobang said. They had no food, no water and the relief goods were so slow, and one of our cousins was forced to go around and beg for food and water.
It was a similar story for the family of Squamish's Susanne Power, the Filipino Canadian spouse of Terrance Power. Four of Susanne's siblings and their families live on the island of Bantayan, which was directly in the path of Haiyan's wrath.
They've been devastated. The whole island is just flat, Terrance Power said, noting that one exception is the house that Terrance, a Squamish-based carpenter, designed and Susanne built. Though its roof was damaged, it's the one structure in the area left more or less intact by the storm. It's also where the extended family hunkered down, he said.
My wife's oldest sister and neice live on the same property and it's just gone right to the floor, Power said. Also animals goats and what not it's all gone. Everything is just vaporized.
They've sent pictures and I won't look at them.
Power said the stricken islands don't need clothing so much as they need the basics food, clean water, shelter and propane for cooking. As of Monday, the island was still without electricity, he said.
Both Power and Manrobang said looting sometimes even of trucks bringing emergency aid to the disaster area are one of the big problems. As well, Mangrobang said, many of her relatives in the Tacloban area are having trouble sleeping because of the smell of dead and rotting bodies.
Other family members have purchased airline tickets to get some of their relatives especially the most elderly off the island of Leyte to Manila, she said.
In Squamish, the Filipino community of more than 400 has come together and is seeking to raise money to help with the relief effort.
An event is planned on Saturday, Nov. 30, from 6 to 10 p.m. at the Brennan Park Auditorium. It will include entertainment, a silent auction, snacks and drinks, with all proceeds to the Canadian Red Cross Philippines relief fund.
We will be asking for help in the business community to donate some items for the silent auction, and the food for the event, co-organizer Dennis Ranada wrote in an email. For information email [email protected] or phone (604) 849-1813.
Donation boxes have also been set up at Brennan Park Rec Centre and at municipal hall. As well, there have been semi-impromptu fundraising efforts such as singer Asia Mader, winner of the Squamish Idol competition in September, busking outside Save-On-Foods in support of Philippines relief.
