DFW Asian Communities Comes Together for Survivors of Typhoon Haiyan/Yolanda

Photo by Jarvis Jacobs/Special Photo Coontributor

Dallas/Fort Worth Vietnamese and Philippine Communities united to raised funds for the Haiyan/Yolanda Typhoon survivors in the Philippines and also affected some area in Vietnam. The donation will help families and survivors the support they need to reconstruct their homes, provide foods and shelters, and restore some livelihoods and resources for long-term efforts from the devastating Typhoon Haiyan/Yolanda.

The vigil and fund raising rally included a candlelight procession, prayer, food, music and cultural dances. In Dallas, several Asian Community groups and leaders, including Merna Parcon from the Maharlika Dancers, Quynh Chau Stone from the Source Of Hope, Tarrant County Asian American Chamber of Commerce president Oscar Macaraeg, Jennifer Nguyen from VietFace TV, Loc Thai from Nguoi Viet Newspaper Dallas, and Texas House of Representative Honorable Angie Chen Button, attended the vigil rally at St. Peter’s Vietnamese Catholic Church to raised funds for families and victims affected by the Haiyan/Yolanda Typhoon. While in Arlington, Asian organizers, including Peter Dao from Viet Radio and Yen Nguyen from Tarrant County Asian American Chamber of Commerce, raised funding for the victims of typhoon Haiyan/Yolanda at Asia Times Square in Grand Prairie, Texas.

Photo by Jarvis Jacobs/Special Photo Contributor

“As always, we could not make an event such as this to happen without the support from you and our communities. It was a great vigil rally with an estimated attendance of more than 1,000 people and a very successful fundraising event to help our brothers, relatives and friends in the Philippines in time of need,” said co-chair and organizer Merna Parcon.

Photo by Jarvis Jacobs/Special Photo Contributor

About Haiyan/Yolanda Typhoon

Typhoon Haiyan, known as Typhoon Yolanda in the Philippines, was an exceptionally powerful tropical cyclone that devastated portions of Southeast Asia, particularly the Philippines, in early November 2013. It is the deadliest Philippine typhoon on record, killing at least 5,632 people in that country alone. As many as 1,000 people have lost their homes and many are still missing in the storm’s chaotic aftermath. Haiyan is also the strongest storm recorded at landfall, and unofficially the fourth strongest typhoon ever recorded in terms of wind speed.

Typhoon Haiyan/Yolanda devastated the island nation of the Philippines and reaching part of Vietnam. Entire villages were destroyed; left many fatalities and more than 650,000 people displaced in the Philippines.