MANILA, Philippines - In a very touching expression of support, the Empire State Building donned the blue, red and yellow colors of the Philippine flag on Friday night (Saturday morning in Manila). The Empire State Building tweeted the amazing display, which will be repeated on Saturday night (Sunday in Manila).
2nite & tmrw night, our lights shine in the color of the #Philippines flag 2 raise awareness of the #Haiyan tragedy. pic.twitter.com/L9FcKtvx9Y
— Empire State Bldg (@EmpireStateBldg) November 16, 2013
Filipinos on Twitter were moved with the Empire State Building's support and its effort to amplify international awareness for the plight of the people in typhoon-stricken regions in the Visayas.
@EmpireStateBldg @chelywright I love this. Of course, made me cry. Beautiful!
— Marilyn (@chenoite) November 16, 2013
@EmpireStateBldg We appreciate your support of #filipinos #philippines thank you for bringing hope & love #YolandaPH #haiyan "Salamat Po"
— Lara Juanillo (@dtblackbox) November 16, 2013
Felix Manuel, who was abroad witnessing the horrifying experience of her fellow Filipinos, particularly those in Leyte and Samar provinces, said the Empire State Building's post also made her cry.
@EmpireStateBldg Maraming Salamat!I can see the lights ffrom Woodside,Queens!Cant help but shed tears for my countrymen
— Felix Manuel (@flxmanuelRN) November 16, 2013
Even media personalities and celebrities expressed gratitude for the touching gesture. Help from all over the world has been pouring in to the affected areas in the country. Billions worth of cash and relief items have been brought to the country to ease the burden of the affected families.
The government has reported that nearly 10 million people were affected by the typhoon and more than 4,000 people have been confirmed killed and reported missing following the devastation wrought by super typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan), one of the strongest and most destructive storms.