Reuben Villagracia feels the pain brought on by Typhoon Haiyan, which struck the Philippines over the weekend.
“It gets emotional when you see it happening through photos,” said the president of the Filipino Canadian Association of Thunder Bay Monday.
“My mom has caught herself crying in front of the television watching the footage.”
The casualty count of the typhoon has risen to nearly 1,000 people, with some fearing that number could swell to nearly 10,000.
The storm is estimated to have sustained winds of 235 km/h with gusts as high as 275 kilometres per hour.
“I was surprised at the magnitude of the storm,” Villagracia said.
“I’m saddened because there are so many people there, and while they evacuated there weren’t very many places to go.”
Villagracia said he knows of one member of the local chapter of the Filipino Association that, as of Sunday evening, has been unable to make contact with her family.
He said she is nervous and has been trying to track down her relatives.
The Filipino Association is looking at hosting a fundraising table at the Thunder Bay Country Market this coming weekend. The group held a meeting on Sunday to discuss a strategy.
“They’re a very proud people, despite living in different countries and raising their families,” he said of the strong bond the Filipino community maintains with its mother country. “They still look at the Philippines as their home.”
While they are looking at raising funds during the weekend, Villagracia is optimistic there will be other opportunities to continuously bring in money, and hopes it “is not a one shot deal.”
He has already heard from members of the community inquiring about how they can provide help for the Philippines.
If there is such thing as a silver lining, that would be it.
“Thunder Bay always finds a way. As sad as it is in the Philippines it is really touching to see,” Villagracia said.
