As most of you probably know by now tropical cyclone Emong lashed the northern part of Luzon last week causing 50 deaths nationwide in the Philippines. The fatalities include 27 from Pangasinan as well as 25 injured and three still missing in just Pangasinan. My wife’s family is in Pangasinan and in fact we are buidling a second home there. The province we are associated with is Anda and the Barangay is Macaleeng which was one of the hardeest hit.

We have been on the phone with family and everyone is fine but most have lost their homes. The house we are building came out okay despite being only a few yards from the ocean. It has a good foundation and solid brick walls but we did lose the few roof panels that were being put on right before Emong hit. Power is not fully restored in Anda and could be weeks or months until it is. Everyone’s job now is assisting with downed trees and cleaning up what remains of their homes.

My sister-in-law, who is in her fifties, has lived in Pangasinan for her whole life and says she has never seen anything like this. Normally, they will get some high winds from the sea and lots of rain but this storm virtually hit them from behind with little warning. I ask that all of you pray for the victims and their families, not just in Pangasinan but throughout Luzon and the Philippines.

To read the latest on Cyclone Emong visit GMA News