EDMONTON – As the Philippines continues to deal with the aftermath of Typhoon Haiyan, the people of Edmonton are coming together to show their support.
About 1,500 people gathered at St. Theresa’s Parish Wednesday night, for a special Mass in Solidarity with the people of the Philippines.
“I think we all recognize that people here – no matter what their faith, tradition – feel a deep need to do something to help,” said Lorraine Turchansky, a spokesperson with the Archdiocese of Edmonton.
READ MORE: How Canadians can help those impacted by Typhoon Haiyan
A collection was also taken at the Mass, in support of relief efforts. The donated money will go to the Philippines emergency appeal of the Canadian Catholic Organization for Development and Peace.
“That’s a national aid agency that Canadian Catholics have donated to for many years. They have people on the ground in the Philippines, they know where the need is greatest and they’re able to mobilize very quickly,” Turchansky.
Development and Peace has a long history of working in the Philippines and has already committed $100,000 to support relief efforts.
“This is a major humanitarian crisis and we foresee that the country will be recovering for a long time. We want to be there every step of the way in solidarity with those affected,” said Michael Casey, Executive Director of Development and Peace.
The official death toll as a result of Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines has risen to 2,275. The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council released the figures on Wednesday afternoon. It said another 3,655 were injured, with 80 more missing.
The storm, one of the most powerful on record, hit the country’s eastern seaboard on Friday, destroying tens of thousands of buildings and displacing about 600,000.
READ MORE: 9 powerful photos from Typhoon Haiyan
“The casualties are increasing day by day. There are dead bodies everywhere. People are traumatized. The most urgent needs are for food and water,” said Fr. Edwin Gariguez, Executive Secretary of Caritas Philippines-NASSA, one of the Development and Peace’s main partners in the Philippines.
Donations made to Development and Peace for relief efforts will be matched by the Canadian government, after it pledged to match donations to relief organizations.
Donations will be accepted until Dec. 9 and can be made be phone at 1-888-664-3387 or online at www.devp.org.
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