Typhoon Haiyan class 4 heading to Philippines

[Musky]

Another email received:

 

Sad news just in that 47 of our brothers have died in the worst hit area (Tacloban City Philippines) and there are many still missing

Brothers,

 

Just to let you know I have had contact with Bro Andrew Struyf who is on international construction assignment in the Philippines with his wife Gabrielle constructing new translation offices. They are in Bacolod which was about 180km SW of the path that the eye of the typhoon took, however as the typhoon covered an area of some 600km they were well and truly effected. 

 

8 Kingdom halls and 147 of our brothers homes have been destroyed, but none of our brothers in that area have lost their lives. The project is underwater and has ceased as focus turns to the Disaster relief efforts required there now. Much of the communication is still down in the worst hit areas and no doubt more information through the appropriate channel will follow shortly. Whilst I am not in the habit of dispersing this type of information I thought it may assist you in your assignments as no doubt many of our brothers will be keen to know how our brothers are getting on. May we all continue praying for them all.

 

This was sent by one of our Brothers:

 

According to another Brother, 37 brothers died on the disaster caused by the typhoon and some of them were trapped in the Kingdom Halls (Sagkahan Cong.)

They have started to repack relief goods for the victims as seen in the picture below. This is sad news. Please coordinate with the body of elders and relief committee for donations. Don't forget to include them in our Prayers..

 

 

 

Edited November 13, 2013 by Musky
Pictures removed sources unconfirmed.

[LuanaGlobal]

Prayers

[NSSewer]

This is really so sad to think about. I was praying for the brothers that they were safe and were not afraid and had the hope of their supplies being available.

[dennisdg]

Our Mindanao, Southern parts of the Philippines are the severely damaged by the storm. I'll have my additional donation thru our KH donation box.

[Goldenoldie]

Thank you all for the update. Our Christian family in the Phillipines is in my prayers.

Edited November 13, 2013 by Goldenoldie

[Sister Beary Sweet]

I've been trying to look at that thread for updates on our precious & dear brothers & sisters in the phillipines, however, it keeps telling me that there's nothing there; yet it shows like 564 posts for that section of comfort. Argg! Any1 else having this problem? Please help!! :'/

[trottigy]

This is the thread to watch. The one in C&S was merged with this one. Now memebers (even if not FULL access can see updates) .

Note: this forum is still members only. Please don't post this info anywhere else.

[Miss Mouse]

We have been in constantv contact with our son in Cebu, City. The brothers have been working around the clock to help those in dire straights , the situation is grim. Nerves are frayed .

The local brothers have been gathering usable items. The brothers are so poor the contributions of usable items are very limited yet they give out of their own needs to aid and assist their brothers and sisters. What a wonderful example of generosity .

[molnarj]

I received this email yesterday. Unfortunately there is no date, so I don't know when this was said.

 

Subject: News from Philippines

 

Hi all, I'm sure this will be out on jw.org very soon, but Brother Losch gave a brief announcement from the Coordinator's Committee this morning concerning the plight of the brothers in Philippines after Super Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda) hit last Friday, with sustained winds of 195 mph and gusts up to 235mph.  It was the most devasting storm to ever hit the Philippines, affecting 15 provinces in central Philippines.  Sadly, it was reported that 26 brothers lost their lives, and 20 more are missing.  This is in the area of the city of Tacloban. There are 424 publishers in Tacloban, and it is estimated that 95% of the houses of the brothers have been destroyed.  Nearby circuits are helping to care for the needs of the brothers. 10 vans of relief supplies have been delivered to the area and 3 additional trucks are en route.  The Coordinator's Committee asked that we keep these brothers in our prayers.
 
On a much happier note, the Committee also announced that as of 11/12/13 the remaining 14 brothers who were in captivity in Armenia for conscientious objection have been released. There's an 11/5/13 article on jw.org about recent developments with this in Armenia.

[trottigy]

I too received a message from a friend   - you know who you are  

 

 

Dear friends,

This is just a short update, as we know that you are all waiting to hear from us.

Bert and 3 other brothers are this week at the Island of Bohol. That is where the 7.2 earthquake was 2 weeks ago. They have had meetings with all the brothers and met with the families of the 3 brothers who have died in the quake. There are 8 Kingdom hall destroyed and another 7 will need repairs. Also there are about 200 homes that need to be repaired or even rebuild. The homes there are made mostly out of a hollow block layer with coconut lumber on top, so that cannot withstand a quake of this size.

They could not rent a place to set up shop, so now we are using the parking area of the Kingdom hall. We can use the brothers of the Kingdom Hall Construction teams to help out. From the last storm 'Pablo" we have a nice system to rebuild homes fast. Some of our local brothers are able to do the work themselves and they will be helped with construction materials. That was till last Friday.

Then the super typhoon hit. For the island of Bohol it did bring a lot of rain and it did storm, but not as strong as they expected. It added a few homes to the list of repairs but not too much. Now the rest of the country; that is another story. You might have seen on TV that it looks like a true war zone. Communication is very difficult as power lines and cell sites are down. The circuit overseers are visiting the brothers and local elders are caring for their sheep. Tomorrow a brother from the Branch Committee will go and visit the Taclooban area to see what needs to be done.

This storm came at our District Convention time. Quite a few of the Bethel speakers are stranded at airports. Others arrived to find the assemblies cancelled and the venues turned into evacuation centers by the government. Metro Manila with it almost 19 million people, escaped the storm completely. They have been cleaning out gutters and drainage-ways for days. Some of the low areas had emergency rubber boats for evacuations given to them, as we expected heavy floods there too. We did get a part of the storm, but rain was not enough for flooding.

I wish I could tell you more, but we have no more information at this moment. The Philippines always get a lot of typhoons during the rainy season, but the people never seem to loose their smile. Jehovah will help our brothers as he always has. This is it for now.


Subject: More prayers needed for our Brothers Worst-Hit by Super typhoon in Southern Philippines
Dear Brothers,

It has been announced during the morning worship of Philippine Bethel that 26 brothers have been confirmed dead in Central Visayas due to super typhoon and several others remain missing.

Five delivery trucks loaded with relief goods left Bethel this afternoon to deliver aid to our affected brothers in Tacloban, Leyte. 

May we continue to pray for our brothers in Central Visayas (Leyte, Eastern Samar, Cebu, Iloilo, Palawan and nearby areas) and their loved ones that they will be able to receive the material and spiritual support that they badly need in this time of calamity.

Let's also pray for the members of the Relief Teams as well as the search and rescue teams so they would have the power beyond what is normal to do be able to accomplish their Christian duties. Major roads and bridges had collapsed, thus making it difficult for the transport of the goods. Communication has yet to be restored in worst hit towns of Central Visayas.

"Be imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises."  Hebrews 6:1

[ReadYourBible]

What we really need to do, is to dig into our wallets and send what we can.   Prayers are great, but the truth of the matter is, we can't say to our brothers keep warm and be well fed, when there's nothing for them to eat nor keep warm with.

 

I know many of us live pay cheque to pay cheque, and we barely have enough to cover our own bills, but there has to be some way that we can scrape together a couple of dollars to contribute.  

 

Money is the best way to help individuals in this situation, and we know our organization, unlike all the other aid organizations isn't going to pocket 95 cents of each dollar for their overhead administration.  

 

I have to take a look at my bills this month, but I'm going to try to work out a way to contribute extra this month.  

 

$1 Canadian dollar is equivalent to 41.54 Philippine pesos 

 

http://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/country_result.jsp?country=Philippines  gives you an idea of the cost of food.

 

As you can see from the list below, just $1 can buy a kg of rice, now I know it's not the best food, but you can survive on it if you have to.   

 

Milk (regular), 1 liter 70.00 ₱

60.00

 

 

 

79.00

Loaf of Fresh White Bread (500g) 50.00 ₱

40.00

 

 

 

60.00

Rice (1kg) 40.00 ₱

36.00

 

 

 

44.00

Eggs (12) 65.34 ₱

60.00

 

 

 

72.03

Local Cheese (1kg) 300.00 ₱

150.00

 

 

 

600.00

Chicken Breasts (Boneless, Skinless), (1kg) 150.00 ₱

122.00

 

 

 

180.00

Apples (1kg) 88.00 ₱

60.00

 

 

 

120.00

Oranges (1kg) 95.00 ₱

60.00

 

 

 

120.00

Tomato (1kg) 47.00 ₱

40.00

 

 

 

65.00

Potato (1kg) 66.00 ₱

43.53

 

 

 

90.00

Lettuce (1 head) 55.00 ₱

35.00

 

 

 

70.00

Water (1.5 liter bottle) 30.00 ₱

25.00

 

 

 

45.00

Edited November 14, 2013 by cerebral ecstasy

[GrumpysWife]

A sister in our KH has family there and they are all OK but lost some of their shelter. There is so much that needs to be done, and I agree we need to send money and fervent prayers for them to be able to survive. I can't even imagine how they are feeling, maybe numb at this point and yet they continue to do what they need to do to help one another. I am so proud of all of my brothers and sisters and the love we all show for each other. Where else in the world would we see so much love under such conditions. No looting from us, no way. 

[pnutts]

There is a posting on JW.ORG about the storm and relief efforts. The official count will lag behind actual. 

 

On the news today they had a spokesman for children's relief fund and it was stated -"supplies are coming in but we won't be in a position to hand anything out until Saturday" What? 2 days from now!  Talk about lack of priorities! 

 

The brothers were handing out relief supplies in the worst hit areas on Sunday - it took awhile to get through the debris covered roads.

 

Jehovah's hand is not short!

 

Would have posted sooner- however my net was down due to cable TV provider being down. Our ISP uses cable company's cable.

Edited November 14, 2013 by pnutts

[LeslieDean]

The storms this past year are all OVER the top crazy storms.  You would think that alone would wake some folks up!

[/quot

Just saw an interview with Dr. Michio Kaku yesterday on one of the morning national news program discussing this very thing. States that the Phillipines is located in a Typhoon "ally" just like there is a tornado ally in the Midwest and a hurricane ally on the east coast. He said that this

crazy worldwide" weather diasters are now the "new norm"! Said usually the Phillipines have between 15-20 a year but so far this is number 24 and the worst ever recorded.

[Miss Mouse]

Brothers thank you for your posts. This is hitting the entire world as to " what is going on".  ( Wake up people ) I wish I could share a private video my son sent to me this morning. He took me on a journey of a day trying to round up supplies and deliver to the KH in Cebu City. He is visibly shaken and over whelmed with the amount of help that is needed. With emotion showing he talked about the frustration of getting messages from some they can't reach. There is red tape in getting supplies to smaller islands that don't have as much media reports ....but in one situation the brothers arrived and the officials said they did not have a permit so precious time was lost there. ( this was to get on to a ferry to get to an smaller Island) In the video he interviewed brothers in Cebu City English  such sweet humble loving brothers taking van loads of rice and water to some of these areas. They are working closely with the Branch and private donations to buy goods. They also told us how the price of water and rice are up every time they go to purchase more.

 

We are all feeling a lot like Habakkuk 1:2 "How long, o Jehovah must I cry for help......." We appreciate Jehovah's time table and his speeding up the Preaching work.....so we just have to hang in there and do all we can.  Your right Sharon . ( dig deep into our wallets) I asked myself would I feel so passionate about this if I didn't have my family there? I hope I would but sometimes we become very complacent it becomes yesterdays news and we carry on in law law land with our "five buck latte's"  and comfy life.    How timely our KN # 38 is we have had very few refusals it just seem that people are hungry for some type of comfort.

 

December my husband and I will leave for Cebu. I have gathered ties and small pieces of jewelry to give to each of our brothers and sisters we meet in the various congregations. (jewelry you say). This is just a small token of love to say we love you and care. I have asked the friends to write personal notes with the items they give me to comfort and console those that receive them so they can feel the effects of the true world wide brotherhood that they belong to. I will give you all a full report on our return. We will be visiting Bohol as mentioned in Jerry's post. They still do not have power. We are scheduled to visit the brothers there and share in the ministry and hubby is giving a talk.

 

 He has included an illustration about the Fire Ant. They are very unique amazing creatures. ( no surprise look who made them) When a flood strikes they form a raft its called  "Survival rafting." When flood waters strike the fire and species reacts with a clever escape plan. Within minutes colony members link their bodies together to form a water-repellant raft. They interlock claws, mandibles, and sticky pads on their legs to construct a roughly circular raft. Air bubbles trapped among the ants bodies and hairs create buoyancy for the  two tiered structure to enable the ones on the underside to breath. We are in a critical time period we are being flooded with life changing challenges.  Making the point as Jehovah's people we need to cling together in these critical times that we are living in so we can survive together through the most difficult last days.

 

I am confident that all who can will do what they can to help bring relief to those suffering...........not just the Philippines but world wide our brotherhood is under so many challenges. We have formed a sort of survival raft supporting each other here on the forum . Again. Thanks so much how we love being a part of a loving brotherhood. xo

[Musky]

I would love to see the video your son sent. Can you upload it to YouTube and make it private and then send out the link to whoever you want either by PM or email?

[ReadYourBible]

Wendy it's funny you say about the $5 latte, because I was thinking of all the people who do the daily drive thru at their local Tim Horton's.  My husband and I WASTE nearly $200 a month just by having coffee together each morning.  

 

That's a lot of rice, a lot of water, a lot of bread a lot of everything for those who have zilch.  I've just identified where my money is coming from, I'm going to skip coffee and donate the money I would have spent for that, on helping our brothers and sisters.

[LeslieDean]

We just have to look closely to see what we take for granted is so much for many of our brothers and sisters! Such a good reminder. Although I do not have a lot of extravagant habits I do spend too much related to the quality of food I spend for. I am constantly reevaluating this area and see that I too could just not buy groceries for the next few weeks and live on what is in the pantry and freezer instead of just shoving more things in an already crowded cabinet and freezer. I can definitely send grocery money!

I have never earmarked a donation because I felt in all goes where needed and they have a birds eye view of the world wide need. But I think I will ear mark this donation just where I can feel like I contributed..

Edited November 14, 2013 by LeslieDean

[Bev]

It really makes me stop and consider so much...I don't think I take things for granted and I am very thankful but today I found myself getting my truck fixed (routine maintenance) and was given an estimate of over $200 because of a computerizes locking mechanism that broke in the door.  It "started" to ruin my day when I just stopped and said to myself "I have this truck - I have a driveway to go park it in and I'll be dry and warm tonight".  It puts things in perspective.   They are in my prayers.

[LeslieDean]

It is hard knowing they are on the other side of the world and dealing with so much. Even the brothers and sisters there can not help because they are in the same dire straights. When we had a ice storm in Dec of 2007 where many parts of the state were without electric for weeks--we shared houses with other families as our electric came back on. We found it "inconvenient" but knew we had it so much easier than many of our brothers and sisters on their "best days". We would light kerosene lamps and lay the food outside in the snow. Had lots of soups and stews but did not suffer for want of food or a warm place to sleep. I hate to think of how we would fare given a true disaster such as that. But I do believe our time is just around the corner to prove our salt...

[Cool Cat]

Here is the update from our website:- http://www.jw.org/en/news/by-region/asia/philippines/super-typhoon-haiyan/

 

One of our local elders broke down in tears while reading from this during his part on the meeting tonight. It was very touching.

Edited November 14, 2013 by MentalProject

[dennisdg]

Updates on our website:

 

http://www.jw.org/en/news/by-region/asia/philippines/super-typhoon-haiyan/

 

As of November 13, 2013, the Philippines branch office of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Manila reported that 27 Witnesses have been confirmed dead. Well over 100 homes of the Witnesses and five places of worship were destroyed.

 

Also, magnitude-7.2 earthquake that shook the Philippines on October 15, 2013, killing 218 people. Reports indicate that the massive quake claimed the lives of three of Jehovah’s Witnesses

 

--------------------------

 

Very sad, let's pray and support them.

[anthony_betts]

NOVEMBER 14, 2013 | PHILIPPINES

Super Typhoon Haiyan Pummels Central Philippines

MANILA, Philippines—Super Typhoon Haiyan (called Yolanda in the Philippines), one of the strongest storms ever to make landfall, ripped through the Philippines on November 8, 2013.

As of November 13, 2013, the Philippines branch office of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Manila reported that 27 Witnesses have been confirmed dead. Well over 100 homes of the Witnesses and five places of worship were destroyed.

The Governing Body of Jehovah’s Witnesses is coordinating the international disaster response from their world headquarters in Brooklyn, New York. As part of these arrangements, the Philippines branch office has been making efforts to deliver food, water, medicine, and other supplies into the affected areas. By Sunday, November 10, about ten vans filled with relief supplies had been delivered, with additional trucks being dispatched the following day.

The region has had little time to recover from the magnitude-7.2 earthquake that shook the Philippines on October 15, 2013, killing 218 people. Reports indicate that the massive quake claimed the lives of three of Jehovah’s Witnesses, one in a landslide and two more when their homes collapsed. The earthquake came on the heels of Typhoon Nari, which struck the Philippines on October 12, 2013, killing at least 13 people.

The Governing Body of Jehovah’s Witnesses cares for expenses related to their relief efforts by utilizing funds donated to their worldwide work. The Governing Body also assesses the need for skilled volunteers, and works with their global network of branch offices to provide qualified personnel to assist with disaster relief work in cooperation with local authorities and other relief agencies.

Dean Jacek, a spokesman for Jehovah’s Witnesses in the Philippines, stated: “We are all deeply grieved over the extensive loss of life caused by these recent catastrophes. There is a great need for comfort in view of the destruction as well as the trauma to the victims. We will continue to do our best to provide ongoing relief and spiritual assistance to our friends and neighbors.”

Media Contact(s):

International: J. R. Brown, Office of Public Information, tel. +1 718 560 5000

Philippines: Dean Jacek, tel. +63 2 411 6090

[Bluebell]

from a brother in Manila :

 

In Tagloban where the worst of the storm and flooding was it is like in Jerusalem in 70CE. It is like a war zone. Everybody stealing what they can from others. 

 

So the JW Organisation evacuated all the brothers from the city. They purchased a large portion of land outside the city. There they put all the aid and food supplies and have protected it against looting. 

 

There the District convention will take place,  as the brothers are all outside the danger zone. There they will build a simple housing for all the brothers inside this area. It will be a small village just made up of Jehovah's Witnesses. 

 

Is that not fantastic news? 

Edited November 18, 2013 by Samira

[Miss Mouse]

Well that pretty much made MY day ..............that is fabulous news. How Jehovah loves his people. We are truly a blessed people who " call on the name of Jehovah". Thank you for that information Samira. 1 Peter 2: 17 " have love for the whole association of brothers ". How Jehovah must love our generous hearts in giving so the brothers can accomplish these tasks.