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Philippines starts evacuating ahead of Typhoon Lupit

Government officials in the Philippines say Typhoon Lupit is expected to be stronger than Ketsana and Parma. Evacuations in northern areas prone to floods and landslides are underway as the system bears down, reports MNN.

Lupit means "fierce" -- an appropriate name for the threat of a fierce attack on an area still struggling with record-high rainfall. Resulting floods swamped the capital, Manila, and drowned large swaths of farmland in northern provinces. More than 850 people were killed and hundreds of thousands displaced.

Wycliffe Associates president Bruce Smith says, "The flooding damage that happened in the previous storms has not yet abated. Obviously, the repair process has barely begun, so for a third storm to be headed that direction, that's got to be devastating news."

Smith says they are mobilizing a humanitarian response. This is the other part of living out the Gospel. "When lives are threatened and livelihoods are threatened, the best thing that we can do as brothers and sisters in Christ is to really stand with them."

The support work of Bible translation in Manila stalled in the aftermath of Tropical Storm Ketsana, which struck the Philippines September 26, 2009.

However, all of the Bible translation support staff members, national staff, and their families located in Manila are safe and accounted for. Some have been forced to evacuate their homes, while others have sustained significant damage to their residences and personal property.

Keep praying. "Even though the people are physically safe, they don't have the shelter that they need going forward, and in the conditions that they need. The other thing that these floods always bring in the aftermath is waterborne diseases. This is another area that we need to be anticipating that's going to impact Bible translation teams, as well."

Wycliffe Associates is seeking to raise funds to meet the needs of displaced Manila Bible translation support staff, which includes food, temporary housing, structure repair, and the replacement of lost belongings.

There's a sense of urgency to getting the team back on track. "While various groups rush in with physical aid, the crucial work of spiritual support begins," says Smith. "The life-restoring power of God's Word is vitally important in this area of Asia today."

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TAGS: Philippines evacuating Typhoon Lupit Wycliffe Associates Bible translation

[10/21/2009]

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