As floods and earthquakes continue to ravage southeast Asia, Jasper’s Filipino community is trying to raise funds to help their families back home.

Last week, Typhoon Ketsana hit The Phillipines, killing 240 people and displacing another 1.8 million. Days later, an earthquake measuring 8.3 on the Richter scale, followed by a tsunami hit the Samoan Islands. That was almost immediately followed by another earthquake off the west coast of Indonesia.

“We’re really concerned. Some already send money to their families and others are contributing through the Red Cross,” said Ruby Tio-Tio, a Jasper resident born in The Philippines. 

Many Filipino families have homes in Manila, which was under a metre and a half of water last week, Tio-Tio said. Some Filipino families rely on income from family members in Canada for support.

“There are co-workers who are desperate because they lost their house. They don’t know what to do,” Tio-Tio said, who is in daily contact with her own brother, who is in Manila.

“My brother is safe. He’s helping others in Manila. This always happens in the rainy season.”

Churches are also collecting funds for the relief effort.

“Every night, we watch the news. It’s difficult to drain water from Manila so there are a lot of houses that have been lost,” Tio-Tio said.

She has contacted foreign workers at all of the hotels in town in search of donations, as each location has someone in charge of raising funds for the relief effort. She said residents are also able to donate to the relief effort.

The Canadian Red Cross is accepting donations for the aid effort in The Philippines. Crews were on the ground before the storm hit, helping residents prepare and survive the onslaught. 

Canadians wishing to support Red Cross efforts to this year’s typhoon season may give online at www.redcross.ca, call 1-800-418-1111 or contact their local Canadian Red Cross office. The 24-hour toll free line accepts Visa, MasterCard and American Express. Cheques should be made payable to the Canadian Red Cross, earmarked “Philippines Typhoons 2009” and mailed to the Canadian Red Cross National Office, 170 Metcalfe Street, Suite 300, Ottawa, Ontario, K2P 2P2