MANILA, Philippines – With many people’s eyes focused on the Philippines in the week after Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) hit parts of the country, some people in New York may also be looking at another towering entity supporting the Haiyan effort from afar: the Empire State Building.

A famous New York tourist destination, the skyscraper is an icon of popular culture due to its appearance in many movies over the years.

The Empire State Building’s LED tower lights are often lit to commemorate “key milestones, events, charitable organizations, countries, and holidays throughout the world.” It held the first of two evenings of Philippine-inspired tower lightings to show solidarity with the country after the onslaught of the typhoon.

In a tweet, it was hoped that the lighting would “raise awareness” about the Haiyan tragedy.

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

Sunday, November 16, will be the last day for New Yorkers to see the special display of the Philippine flag’s colors – red, blue, yellow, and white.

Rappler’s Michael Josh Villanueva was in New York during the evening of the first show and tweeted a picture of the lights from below.

The Empire State Building lights up in red and blue for those affected by Haiyan in the Philippines. #RStream pic.twitter.com/22HmRxPKpa

— Josh Villanueva (@michaeljosh) November 16, 2013

– Rappler.com