Compassion for Filipino Crew This Weekend

With this Cat 5 Typhoon barreling across the Phillipines, cruisers embarking this weekend might consider the emotions that some crew members from that country might have - worry for their families, relatives and home. It might be days before they get any word on how their relatives fared through this storm. A little empathy might go a long way.

I agree, my heart goes out to all the crew and their families who may be affected by the storm. We have met a lot of wonderful people from the Phillipines. I will keep them all in my thoughts and prayers!

I have been thinking the same thing.

I've had this on my mind as well. Wishing the Celebrity crew, and their families all the very best, during this extremely difficult time.

Thoughts and prayers to them all.

Dawn

Our thoughts and prayers are with them as well. May God keep them safe.

Many are not simply "crew" as they've become good friends we cruise to see. Cyndee and I wish o express our deepest concerns for their families and hold them in our thoughts and prayers.

OP: Thanks for starting this thread.

I have been wondering the last several days how those poor people with relatives in danger are even able to keep working .

I would think all communications are down so even if their families are safe they won't be able to find that out for a long time.

My heart goes out to them!!!!! :(

I'm thinking of all the wonderful Philippino crew members I have met over the years. Those working on cruises right now must be agonizingly worried about their families. And others may have been in the midst of it all. The news report is saying there may be 10,000 dead. Prayers are being sent their way.

We too are keeping the all the crew with loved ones in the Philippines in our prayers.

We got off the Solstice 2 1/2 weeks ago. Our waiter had one more cruise after ours and he was headed home to his wife and 2 children in the Philippines

We pray he got home to be with his family.

Yes we too are thinking of the Phillipino crew and their families. Devastation beyond belief there and no way for many of them to find out about their families and friends.

Wendy and David

Prayers for all those affected by this horrible natural disaster.

Thoughts and prayers are with all the crew affected by this devastating storm.

My thoughts and prayers also...to all the crew, their families, friends and all the Filipino people ! Pagpalain ka ng Diyos.

In today's Sunday New York Times and updated on the web within the past hour, they have this headline: "Devastation Feared Across Central Philippines in Typhoon’s Wake" with these highlights: "One of the most powerful typhoons ever recorded now appears to have devastated cities, towns and fishing villages with heavy loss of life when it played a deadly form of hopscotch across the islands of the central Philippines on Friday. Barreling across palm-fringed beaches and plowing into frail homes with a force that by some estimates approached that of a tornado, but sprawling across a huge area of this far-flung archipelago, Typhoon Haiyan delivered a crippling blow to this country’s midsection. Disorder and looting over the weekend compounded the destruction. President Benigno S. Aquino III declared a 'state of calamity' in provinces encompassing islands across the breadth of the Philippines. The declaration is devised to release emergency funds from the national coffers. But those coffers have already been depleted this year by a series of other natural disasters, most notably an earthquake with a magnitude of 7.2 that also struck the middle of the country four weeks ago. The first and most vocal city to cry for help over the weekend was Tacloban on Leyte Island. The typhoon left Tacloban in ruins, as a storm surge as high as 13 feet overwhelmed its streets, with reports from the scene saying that most of the houses had been damaged or destroyed in the city of 220,000. More than 300 bodies have already been recovered, said Tecson John S. Lim, the city administrator, adding that the toll could reach 10,000 in Tacloban alone. The lack of clear information about the extent of the damage raised the possibility that other areas could have been hit just as badly as Tacloban, where rescue efforts were being concentrated."

Very sad. Right now, it is still hard to appreciate how badly these areas have been hit and damaged. Lots of cruise ship staff are affected and not knowing how their families in these areas are doing, surviving.

Full story at:

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/11/world/asia/philippines-typhoon.html?hpw&rref=world

THANKS! Terry in Ohio

For details and visuals, etc., from our July 1-16, 2010, Norway Coast/Fjords/Arctic Circle cruise experience from Copenhagen on the Silver Cloud, check out this posting. This posting is now at 123,515 views.

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1227923

It was very thoughtful for you to begin this post.

Compassion is a powerful healer.

Prayers .......

I agree, thoughts go out to them all, we have some that have become friends and checked in with them on facebook too

Does any one know what the cruise companies are doing to help out their employees from the Philippines? Haven't read anything. My hearts and prayers with everyone from the Philippines. On the Silhouette February 2012 Dingo and Rusty were our Waiters. A married couple with two children at home in the Philippines. Do not know where they are know. If anyone knows, let me know. Thanks

Thinking about the MANY wonderful Celebrity crew from the Philippines that we have met on your ships across the world, and hoping their families are OK and safe and any of them home between contracts are all OK and safe in this horrible typhoon...

Yes. We are all thinking of those who have been affected by this terrible tragedy.

I am, as well. I cannot imagine the not knowing part. I am hopeful that X's comunications staff is able to help the staff work through some of the angst. My thoughts and prayers are with all of those affected.

It is an awful time for the Phillipines. So sad for all those famililies. It must be awful for crew members concerned about their families. I'm sure Celebrity will do all they can.

Wow yeah, not just celebrity crew but many crews across many fleets. My hopes are that all their homes and families are safe. They must be a mess with worry.

We were witnessing the dramatic worry and sadness of the crew that we had come to know the day the typhoon hit their homeland.

Our prayers go out to them with so much love.

Our memories of Jasper as he tried to be brave while so worried about home.

Jasper, we hope you hear from your loved ones soon.

Love the Copelands from Florida