On Friday 17th December Super-Typhoon Odette struck the Philippines. In the province of Palawan, the Typhoon did not follow the expected path and causing wide-spread destruction. 

Sadly numerous people lost their lives during the storm, and in subsequent flooding.

The carnage in the province of Palawan has been immense. Roads were cut off by landslides, bridges have been destroyed, and communications were blacked out for 4 days. Many homes have been damaged or completely demolished, crops have been spoiled, and electricity went down.

CMS Missionaries Howard and Michelle Newby live and work in the province and were fortunate to be kept safe during the typhoon. Now, they are both helping to coordinate emergency relief with their contacts in the area. They have already arranged over 1.5 tonnes of rice as well as tinned goods and noodles to many areas cut off and only accessible by boat.

This shipment can be repeated daily with each shipment being able to feed 150 families for approximately 10 days.

Over a month on from the disaster the Newby’s have been able to continue to help communities in need.

‘At the moment we have been able to feed lots of people,’ shared Howard, ‘we are delivering a very large shipment of boat repair materials to the two Islands as we really need to prioritise livelihood recovery at the moment.’

Many Filipinos responded to a recent survey by the Newby’s on their top three needs following the disaster, and amongst them was a need for livelihood recovery. This a positive sign for the recovery of these communities, but there is still a great need for food with ongoing hunger still prevalent, and many homes still needing to be repaired

‘We will… be delivering some building materials which will go towards senior citizens and disabled people,’ shared Howard.

‘[As we distribute aid,] we will share a message from the bible at the same time.’

Please join us in praying for those affected by Typhoon Odette:

• For families who have lost loved ones, that they will be comforted in this time of mourning.
• That food supplies, medicine, shelter and building supplies will reach those in need.
• That communities will be able to start rebuilding their livelihoods and repairing their homes.
• For CMS Missionaries Howard and Michelle Newby, as they share aid and Jesus’ love with those who are in need.

If you are able to help Filipino communities in the province of Palawan you can give using the button below.

Below are some photos of recent relief efforts, and of the devastation left by the typhoon.

A woman with a disability lives alone in this mostly destroyed house.

Conducting a survey of the damage and needs after Typhoon Odette.

Rebuilding damaged fishing boats.