Fundraiser planned for typhoon victims

Filipino community waits for word from loved ones

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – As many as 10,000 people are feared dead from the devastating typhoon that swept across the Philippines and destroyed entire villages. The powerful typhoon was the strongest ever recorded in history.

Channel 4 spoke Monday night with some local Filipinos about how they are stepping up to help the victims of the storm.

Many families in Jacksonville still have not heard from their loved ones in the Philippines.

"Filipinos coming together, it's really a natural thing, with the devastation that happened there, it's basically, it's an all-time record we had with typhoons in the past," said LBC Shipping's Manny Eco.

The Jacksonville-based group, "We-Filipino," plans on holding a fundraiser for the Typhoon victims on Friday at the Maharlika Grill on the Southside. They are also working with a local shipping company to get food, clothes and other supplies to those in the hardest hit areas of the Philippines.

RELATED: Jax store sending aid to Philippines

"It's going to be distributed to the local non-profit organizations so they actually have the man power to distribute it properly," said Eco.

LBC shipping is working with a handful of Jacksonville based businesses and churches to make sure the hardest hit areas get food, clothing, toiletries and money that they need.

Authorities estimate that at least 9.7 million people in 41 provinces were impacted by the storm. Doreen Flippen and Rosabell Hill told Channel 4 Monday that the natural disasters has left the Filipino community desperate for communication.

"They see images on television and on the Internet, it breaks their heart because they're not able to talk to their families first-hand," said Flippen.

"It's mass devastation. These individuals can't contact them by phone, can't get them by internet. I mean, there's just no communication at all," said Hill.

The fundraiser for the Phillipines is being held on Friday, Nov. 15 at the Maharlika Grill on the corner of Beach and San Pablo. The cost is $25 at the door.