Torontonians are reaching out to help people in Asia who were hit with a seemingly never-ending number of disasters--typhoons, tsunamis and earthquakes have killed thousands in less than one week.
Members of Toronto's Filipino community gathered inside a local restaurant Saturday to try and raise money and supplies for the people who have been devastated by two major typhoons hitting the Philippines within days of each other.
The second Typhoon, named Parma, hit the country Saturday, setting back relief efforts from the first typhoon even further.
Toronto's Filipinos are concerned about the heartbreaking stories they are hearing from their relatives back in the country.
Rosemer Enverga heard about a woman trapped on a roof with a baby.
"She saw two dead people floating, so it's really traumatic and before they were rescued it took two days," she said at Casa Manila restaurant at York Mills Road and Don Mills Road.
The community has gathered 60 boxes of clothes and canned goods to ship to the Philippines to help those who have lost everything.
International organizations like World Vision are on the ground in the country helping with the disaster.
"People were very fearful that the water will rise up," said Minnie Portales, who spoke with CTV over the phone from Manila.
"But it's not only losing relatives but also losing everything that you have."
United Nations officials say as many as four thousand people could be buried under rubble after Indonesia was battered by two separate earthquakes this week. Villages are being destroyed by landslides and hundreds of people were buried alive.
A Toronto woman working for World Vision who is in Indonesia told CTV about the horrific situations she's seeing.
"I'm just overwhelmed by the tens of buildings that have collapsed," said Amelia Merrick.
"Doctors don't even have enough water to be scrubbing up before and after operations."
-With a report from CTV's Michelle Dube
