Filipino-Canadians in Metro Vancouver rally to help typhoon victims

VANCOUVER – Members of the Filipino-Canadian community in Metro Vancouver are trying not to lose hope for loved ones as they scramble to raise funds for victims of the devastating typhoon in the Philippines.

Power and communications have been severed in the areas worst hit by the deadly storm, and Levi Estores, a pastor at the Vancouver Filipino Seventh Day Adventist Church, has been unable to reach his mother, two brothers and sister for three days.

Estores received a message through Facebook before communications went down in the Philippines that the home of one his brothers had been destroyed as the typhoon tore through his hometown.

The pastor says he is trying his best to reassure the members of his congregation, even as he struggles to quell his own fears for his family.

His church is collecting donations for relief efforts, and a fundraising concert organized by a local television host will take place in Surrey, B.C., on Thursday night.

The Canadian government has pledged $5 million in disaster relief and offered to match Canadian donations dollar for dollar.