To Our Friends in the Philipines

[xrvlcruiser]

I know many of us have heard about the Cyclone in the Philippines.

 

I also know that we all want our friends in the Crew and Staff to know we are thinking about them and their families and hope they will safe.

 

Peggy

Edited November 8, 2013 by xrvlcruiser

[TedC]

i know many of us have heard about the cyclone in the philippines.

 

I also know that we all want our friends in the crew and staff to know we are thinking about them and their families and hope they will safe.

 

Peggy

 

DITTO

 

 

It must be very stressful worrying if their families are safe!

Edited November 8, 2013 by TedC

[poss]

Regent crew and staff and families were exactly whom I thought of straight-off. May loss and suffering be manageable as possible. Concerned and warm thoughts are for sure with those folks.

[Travelcat2]

Our thoughts and prayers are with everyone in the Philippines and their families.

[Wendy The Wanderer]

Thanks for posting this, Peggy. I've been thinking about them all day. Must be kind of tense aboard the ships right now.

[Sunprince]

This was an extremely large (cat5) hurricane equivalent or greater storm I can't imagine the devastation this has caused. I do hope all the lovely Philippine people are safe tonight

[RachelG]

I too immediately thought of all our regent and silversea friends and families when I heard about the typhoon. Praying for them and their safety.

[OrpingtonT]

Like others, Barbara and I thought straight away of the lovely people we have met on our travels with Regent and of the worry and heartache they must be going through. It makes our own cares seem so insignificant.

[Mr Rumor]

One of the last crew members I spoke to before disembarking the Navigator in Miami last Thursday was Ferdinand, our favorite Sette Mari waiter. He told me he would be leaving the ship that day as well, for the long flight home to Manila. I keep thinking about him, wondering if he has been able to return home as scheduled, and whether or not his family was fortunate to escape the wrath of Typhoon Haiyan

 

As I posted on the Montreal-Miami thread, more than one-third of the Navigator crew (132) are from the Philippines. I imagine the Mariner and Voyager percentages are similar, which means many hundreds of Regent crew are probably beside themselves with upset as they follow this terrible tragedy and attempt to make contact with loved ones back home. According to one report I read, the typhoon is said to have directly affected approximately 4% of the population.

 

Knowing how well Regent treats its crew and staff, I have no doubt that the company will be doing everything it can to be of help, including cooperating with and assisting those crew members who feel they must return home ASAP due to their specific family situations.

 

Rich

[TLCOhio]

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

[Zqueeze1]

We lived in Luzon Island in the mid-1980s and remember the generous heart and kindness of the Philippine people. Our hearts go out to all Filipinos who have suffered the worst typhoon in their history. God bless.

 

Z and TB

[Amy50]

This is exactly where my mind and heart went first, too. Even when it is not your own loved ones, knowing that your broader community has suffered so much is devastating. I imagine hearts are heavy aboard the ships these days...

[xrvlcruiser]

Typhoon . . . not Cyclone . . .sorry.

[JMARINER]

Many non-Filipino (European) crew also now live in the Cebu area. One senior crew member from the Voyager suggested donations to www.care.org/Tyhpoon-Haiyan.

 

Also the American Red Cross and the Phillipine Red Cross have Typhoon relief donation sites set up and can be accessed by clicking on the links provided.

 

Given the gravity of the storm and the internal logistical situation I have no doubt that many crew members and their families are gravely affected.

 

J

[Travelcat2]

Agree with last poster. I contacted Franck Galzy, General Manager on the Voyager and he had the same recommendation and this is who he donated to.

 

http://www.care.org/Typhoon-Haiyan

 

http://www.care.org

[Sunprince]

The Government of Canada is matching donations from Canadian citizens up to $100,000 per person to aid the typhoon efforts. Hoping all Regent Canadians will take advantage of this. One of many reasons Canada is a great humanitarian country!

 

I do also hope that Regent has made a corporate donation to aid the phillipines given the large number of staff it employes from the phillipines. This would be a great gesture of "corporate responsibility" from Regent/PCH.

[JMARINER]

The Government of Canada is matching donations from Canadian citizens up to $100,000 per person to aid the typhoon efforts. Hoping all Regent Canadians will take advantage of this. One of many reasons Canada is a great humanitarian country!

 

I do also hope that Regent has made a corporate donation to aid the phillipines given the large number of staff it employes from the phillipines. This would be a great gesture of "corporate responsibility" from Regent/PCH.

 

I have no doubts that Regent corporate, as well and the Ships officers and senior crew are going to extraordinary lengths to help out.

 

j

[jhp]

Nor do I, JMariner. These people make Regent what it is. I have learned that over my 13 years of cruising with Regent/Radisson. My heart breaks as I watch these accounts on TV of the utter devastation of the coastal areas, and of course, I am donating to my charity of choice.