The devastation in the Philippines is hitting home for 25,000 Filipino-Canadians, many of whom live in and around Montreal and are still missing family members following Typhoon Haiyan.

“The only thing that I can do and we can do is to send them prayers,” said Arwin Allana, whose missing parents were visiting their hometown village to build a chapel when the typhoon hit the island nation on Friday and cut off communications to many areas. At least 942 people are confirmed dead, and the official death toll is expected to climb much higher.

“I told them to evacuate to a better place because their house is just beside the Pacific Ocean. The only protection they have is the sea wall but it's not enough,” he said, adding that he hasn’t heard from them since before the storm.

“I call my dad, my uncles, my mom, and my relatives there. I try to Facebook them -- no answer,” he said.

Allan’s aunt, Agustino Magno, won’t leave her home in case family calls. Her sister – Arwin Allana’s mother – was set to leave the Philippines last Thursday, but the airport was already closed by then.

“Their flight was cancelled, everything, so they decided to go back to our village,” she said.
 

Community comes together

Meantime, the Filipino community at large is coming together not only to figure out how they can help loved ones who are so far away, but they are also supporting each other as many go through anxious hours and days waiting for news from the typhoon-ravaged country.

In Montreal. ex-patriots are preparing to hear that thousands of people have died.

"It's really awful because there's a lot of people dying, I don't know how many thousands of people," said Sarah Delapisa.

Gathering on Sunday, many Filipinos were feeling helpless as the tragedy unfolded on the other side of the globe.

"It's terrible, it's terrible, I just cannot imagine," said Delapisa.

Others cannot stop thinking about what it must have been like to be caught in one of the worst natural disasters on record. Haiyan had sustained winds of 235 kilometres per hour as it swept over the island nation, with maximum windspeeds of 275 kilometres per hour.

"Your face is painful and your ear is painful because of how the strongest wind comes to your face," said Rosita Sumonod.

Father Yesappan Savarimuthu said his congregation is sick with worry.

"This morning someone was crying when she read the prayer of the faithful for the mass, when she realized we are praying for the people in a country where people are dying and all these calamities," said Fr. Savarimuthu.

But there are stories of survival and hope coming out of the Philippines.

Houssam Hammoudi says his fiancee is among the survivors and is recovering at a clinic after narrowly escaping disaster.

"From what I understand they tried to close the door, the door came off, pushed them," said Hammoudi.

Fundraising and support

Members of Montreal's Filipino community have also been gathering at St. Kevin's Catholic Church to organize fundraising but also to offer each other moral support.

The biggest fundraising drive is through the Canadian Red Cross, where so far $1.2 million has been raised for clean water and a field hospital.

The Canadian Red Cross also has people on the ground in the disaster zone, said public affairs director Myrian Marotte.

Right now we are running against time so every hour every day is very important because we are still trying to reach people, doing search and rescue.

  • For a full list of registered Canadian charities, click here 
  • To donate to the Red Cross Typhoon Haiyan fund, click here