MAF in the Philippines
An estimated 11 million people in the Philippines have been affected by the storm, which hit the eastern coastal provinces of Leyte and Samar in the Philippines on Friday and then headed west, sweeping through six central Philippine islands.
There is an urgent and massive need for food, water, medical supplies and shelter. But with roads and infrastructure damaged or blocked, many areas remain cut off.
What MAF is doing
John Woodberry, MAF disaster response and security manager, is currently in the Philippines where he has connected with a team from New Tribes Mission and is providing logistics assistance to aid their relief work. Vaughan Woodward, executive officer of MAF International joined him on Saturday.
The team plans to work from the islands of Palawan and Cuyo to provide assistance to smaller islands that have received very little outside aid. John says, “We have heard (from a survey flight) that the smaller islands have had 70-80 percent destruction and no one is helping to meet this need in this remote corner of the Philippines devastated by Typhoon Haiyan. This is an urgent strategic need we can meet.”
At this point we do not expect that MAF airplanes will deploy to the Philippines. However, this is a fluid situation and things can change rapidly.
What you can do
Please continue to pray for the many, many people suffering in the aftermath of this tragedy. Pray that hearts will be changed and people there will put their faith in Jesus. Please lift up John, Vaughan, and the NTM team. Also pray for their protection, as the Philippines is not always a safe place.
