Thanks to a $40,000 donation from Bermuda’s Roman Catholic community, the Island has raised nearly $64,000 for a life-saving effort in the Philippines.

A fundraiser by the group ANCOP (Answering the Cry of the Poor) in tandem with Couples for Christ was this week buoyed by the cheque handed over by Bishop Robert Kurtz of the Roman Catholic diocese.

The donation will fund emergency relief operations for the aftermath of Typhoon Haiyan.

The storm hit the Philippines on November 8, packing high winds and torrential rain that killed at least 6,000 people and left widespread and lingering devastation. It was 2013’s worst natural disaster.

ANCOP Bermuda president Evelou Mosley declared herself “speechless or unable to find words in expressing my amazement and appreciation from the overwhelming kind support and generosity of the whole Bermuda community”.

The group will send the money “as soon as possible” to the CFC and ANCOP offices based in the Philippine capital of Manila, she said.

“People are very generous for these appeals, especially at times of disaster — there was really an outpouring of concern for the people who have suffered there,” Bishop Kurtz told The Royal Gazette as he gave the cheque to Ms Mosley and CFC representative Dennis Marquez.

The $40,000 was raised by a single appeal to all six church parishes in Bermuda, he said.

“There were no special fundraisers — it was one appeal, one collection.”

Disaster relief in the Philippines has been also assisted by the Association of Filipinos in Bermuda, the Bermuda Red Cross and other organisations.