The people of the Philippines are reeling from the widespread devastation left by super typhoon Rai.
Most of the affected areas are still without electricity, and communication has been cut off, while hundreds of thousands of victims are desperate for food and water.
CBN’s Operation Blessing teams are there, working 24/7 to bring much-needed relief to the worst-hit and hard-to-reach communities.
“I am in deep pain” is all that Ermalyn Boctot can say when she and her husband, Milanro, saw their house flattened on the ground by the strong rain and winds brought by Rai. But they are grateful that they were not harmed because they fled to safer ground at the height of the storm.
“I am so relieved that we were not in the house when it collapsed. but I feel hopeless,” said Milanro Sarsona, a typhoon survivor. “I don’t know where to get the means to support my family. I earn from selling coconuts but all the coconut trees were wiped out. I cannot go out to fish because the waves are too strong. It’s really very tough. We lost our home. We don’t have food.”
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Sarsona and his family are among the tens of thousands of people who were left homeless after typhoon Rai ravaged the central and southern regions of the Philippines.
Most areas are still without electricity and communication lines are cut. But more than this need, the people have been desperately begging for food and water.
Operation Blessing teams quickly responded, traveling to the island provinces by land, sea, and air, to give much-needed food, mats, and blankets to typhoon survivors.
Ermalyn and Milanro are happy that Operation Blessing reached their village. All of the families received food bags containing rice and canned goods. According to their village chief, this was the very first time that they received help.
“Thank you for the rice and canned goods. this is really a big help because my husband does not have work and our children need food,” Ermalyn Boctot told CBN News.
Aside from material relief, the prayer of an OB staff member gave comfort to the typhoon survivors. Eliciana Asibal can’t hold back her tears as she surrendered her life to God. She too lost her home. On that night, she felt the touch of God as the OB staff ministered to her.
In partnership with the Philippine Navy, Operation Blessing is transporting generators, water stations, and jerry cans to the worst-hit provinces of Cebu and Siargao, where communities are now faced with limited access to clean and safe water.
To find out more about Operation Blessing, CLICK HERE.
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