Philippines: Typhoons Knock Churches' Relief Work

Christian Today reports that disaster recovery in the Philippines keeps getting knocked off its feet. After the fourth storm in four weeks hit the Philippines, relief groups have had to extend their initial efforts beyond their normal scope. "Four weeks after a typhoon we are usually heading toward the rehabilitation phase," reported Minnie-Anne Calub of the National Council of Churches in the Philippines. "This is the first time we have had a series of typhoons," she added. "We thought we would be terminating the relief phase after two or three weeks but because of the continuous typhoons, rains and floods, the water won't subside and people can't go home." The last storm, Mirinae, also hit Vietnam on Monday, forcing more than 80,000 people to evacuate.