Appeal for Philippines Prayers and Aid

 Monday November 11 2013

Christian charities are among the many making urgent appeals for help for the people in the Philippines who have lost their homes and loved ones to Typhoon Haiyan.

Over 10,000 are feared to have died and hundreds of thousands have been displaced in one of the most powerful storms ever recorded on land. Millions of survivors are now struggling to find clean drinking water, food or shelter; and aid agencies are struggling with badly disrupted communications and transport links.

In addition to financial help, Christian Aid and Tearfund have appealed for prayers for the victims.

Tearfund Chief Executive Matthew Frost said: “We keep hearing more and more bad news as the death toll figures increase.

“It has been difficult to confirm all the details because of power cuts and difficulties in reaching our colleagues but we know that landslides, flooding and high winds have wiped out homes, businesses and farms.

“Our partners are in the evacuation centres, giving care to survivors who need food, water, shelter and help to find their loved ones.

“We know from other major natural disasters like the Boxing Day tsunami of 2004 that it can take years for people to rebuild their lives.

“As well as the urgent and practical things like helping people have a roof over their heads, we know that there will be a lot of grief as people come to terms with bereavement. We must pray for the thousands of people who are grieving and ask God how he wants each of us to respond to their needs.

“Please also pray for the churches who are sending teams out, many of whom will travel long distances by motorbike, that their teams would stay safe and well on their travels and that they would be able to bring hope to the people they meet.

Christian Aid said it had dispatched three emergency response assessment teams. In a statement it said: “Airports are closed but our partners are already there, on the ground, doing all they can. We’ve helped people reach emergency shelters and are preparing to deliver vital relief to thousands of people caught in the path of the storm.

“Our partners in the Philippines are hugely experienced at dealing with situations like this. But the unprecedented size of the storm and the vast scale of the need means we’ve launched an emergency appeal.”

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