In early November, Typhoon Haiyan lashed Southeast Asia with some of the strongest winds and rains on record. One of countries hardest hit by the super-storm was the Philippines, a nation made up of several thousand islands particularly vulnerable to these types of weather events. Today, the country is still reeling from nearly 4,000 deaths, tens of thousands of missing or displaced persons, and an estimated $14 billion in economic damages.
The Philippines is home to a great number of employees in the cruise industry, so most cruise companies around the world can count many staff and crew who have been personally affected by Typhoon Haiyan. For this reason, the industry has shown an especially generous outpouring of support and monetary aid in response to the natural disaster.
According to the leading cruise resource website, Cruise Critic, a number of cruise lines have announced initiatives to help their Filipino employees, as well as provide significant donations to aid efforts. Royal Holiday affiliates Carnival and Norwegian, for example, have taken extra measures to help staff and crew members connect with family in the Philippines. In addition, Carnival has partnered with the Miami Heat basketball team to pledge $1 million to relief efforts in the region. Princess Cruises has donated $110,000 to various medical organizations operating in the region. Several other lines have also contributed financial or logistical support, and rallied their passengers to give to the cause, as well.
Overall, individual cruise lines have given in excess of $2.2 million for Typhoon Haiyan recovery, according to the Cruise Industry Charitable Foundation (CICF). At the same time, the CICF itself has given an additional $100,000 to the American Red Cross for storm relief work in the Philippines.
Typhoon Haiyan has left a great deal of destruction behind it, especially in the Philippines. To aid in the region’s recovery, however, the entire cruise community—including companies, crew, and passengers—has risen to the challenge of helping those most affected by this disaster.