Local Doctor Says Her Family Survived Deadly Typhoon
NORTH JACKSON — A local doctor says she can now breathe a sigh of relief after hearing Typhoon Haiyan spared her family’s life in the Philippines. Doctor Sandra Dee says when she got word Typhoon Haiyan was nearing her home country she immediately thought of her parents who were in the historic storm’s path. “I was scared and worried that something would happen to my own family,” Dee said. Doctor Dee is an interventional cardiologist at Jackson-Madison County General Hospital, but she is originally from the Philippines. Dee says she immediately called her parents as soon as she heard about the Typhoon. “The first thing I said was.. Are you alright?” Then, Dee waited until after the storm passed to get word they were okay. “You feel so helpless because you want to be able to get to them right away or touch them and see what’s happening right there in your home country,” Dee said. Typhoon Haiyan tore through the Philippines last Friday with winds nearing 200 miles an hour. The death toll is expected to reach 10,000. Dee’s parents escaped the worst of the storm. After several hours of waiting, she finally received the phone call she was waiting for. “I am more at ease that they are safe, but of course I am still worried and sad about the plight of the other people.” Doctor Dee says she used to call her parents once a week, but since the storm she has been calling them once a day. Dee says her message to the people in her home country that are facing the major devastation would be, “be strong.. I know its really tough times.. that this happened to your family.” The West Tennessee Filipino Association will be having a yard sale this Saturday to raise money for those devastated by the typhoon. The yard sale will be at the Northpointe Subdivision at 75 Epperson Drive from 7 a.m. until noon.
