Christians Urge Prayers As Typhoon Hits Philippines

by Stefan J. Bos. Chief International Correspondent Worthy News

MANILA (Worthy News) – Christians in the Philippines appealed for prayers Sunday after authorities warned of “life-threatening” surges as the sixth massive storm hitting the nation in the past month intensified.

“Please include in your prayers that we will be safe from the super typhoon that is coming,” Clarita Orfrecio told Worthy News, speaking from the municipality of Bongabon on the country’s hard-hit Luzon island.

Authorities said more than 750,000 people fled their homes as Super Typhoon Man-yi slammed into the disaster-weary nation.

Assistant Secretary Cesar Idio of the Official of Civil Defense and other provincial officials said they took refuge in emergency shelters, including churches and a shopping mall, due to Man-yi and two previous storms, mainly in the northern Philippines.

The typhoon landed late Saturday on the coast of the island province of Catanduanes and then churned through the sea toward the main island of Luzon.

The entire province of Catanduanes had no power after the typhoon knocked down trees and electricity posts, and disaster-response teams were checking how many more houses were damaged in addition to those impacted by previous storms, he said.

OFFICIALS WORRIED

Worthy News learned that Catanduanes officials were so worried as the typhoon approached that they threatened vulnerable villagers with arrest if they did not follow orders to evacuate to safer grounds.

Although the capital region of metropolitan Manila would likely be spared from a direct hit, it was placed under storm alerts and outlying areas and warned of dangerous coastal storm surges.

“The rain was minimal, but the wind was powerful and had this eerie howling sound,” Roberto Monterola, a disaster mitigation officer in Catanduanes, said.“Along a main boulevard, the tidal surges reached more than 7 meters (23 feet) near the seaside houses. It looked terrifying.”

Officials said Man-yi has maximum sustained winds of 185 kilometers per hour (about 115 miles per hour) near the center and gusts of up to 230 kilometers per hour (143 miles per hour), the equivalent of a Category 3 hurricane.

“We need tin roofs and other construction materials, aside from food. Villagers tell us here that they still haven’t gotten up from the past storm and were pinned down again by this typhoon,” Monterola added. Nearly half of the island province’s 80,000 people were sheltering in evacuation centers.

Man-Yi is the sixth typhoon to hit the Philippines in a month, with at least 160 people known to have died in the five previous storms.

Experts say that storms in the Philippines have become more frequent and more intense.

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