UPDATE: Typhoon floods missionary homes, seminary campus

Five Nazarene churches have sustained damage and about 100 people have sought shelter at Asia-Pacific Nazarene Theological Seminary (APNTS) from flood waters in Metro Manila, the Philippines, after Tropical Storm Ketsana (called Ondoy by locals) made landfall on Saturday morning local time. The storm has since strengthened to a typhoon. Several Nazarene missionaries' homes have also been flooded.

Almost 8,000 people in the city have been rescued, and an estimated 500,000 have been displaced by the flooding according to National Disaster Co-ordinating Council (NDCC) figures sited in a Sept. 28 press release from NCM Asia-Pacific. CNN.com reported 140 dead.

Nazarene Compassionate Ministries (NCM) has set up an account for donations to provide relief to those affected by the typhoon. Visit NCM's giving page www.ncm.org for more information or to make a donation.

Several Nazarene churches are submerged in chest-high water, reported Metro Manila district superintendent Rev. Bonifacio Plantillo. He also provided reports on the following churches.

• Novaliches church in Quezon City is serving as an evacuation center for 31 families, including one badly injured child who is recovering; local youth leaders Sid Paragas and Racquel Valeza are partnering to gather material assistance in and for the community.
• Napindan church is providing refuge for eight families on its second floor.
• Emmanuel Pateros church saw the ground floor submerged, but was able to evacuate seven families to the second floor.
• Theresa church is cleaning up water and mud damage, and repairing a collapsed fence.
• Cainta church is in one of the most heavily affected areas; the local pastor is still assessing the congregation's situation.
• Tanay church is still submerged but water is subsiding. Fifty people have taken refuge on the second floor.
• Payatas church's situation is unknown as communication has not yet been established with the pastor.

The district and the Philippines Field have released resources for the distribution of food and water for evacuees in coordination with NCM, according to the NCM report. Other Nazarene districts also are preparing to respond. NCM plans to partner with other similar response agencies such as the NDCC to provide relief items from clothing and blankets to basic household goods.

According to a Global Mission department report on Sept. 26, several missionaries' homes were flooded, although everyone was reported safe.

One missionary family moved to the second floor of their home when the first floor was flooded.

"They report that they are safe and have sufficient food and water for now," the e-mail report stated. "They are in good spirits and report that they 'are bonding' well in their close quarters."

Another missionary family had some water entering their home and was working to keep more from coming in.

A third missionary family was out of town when the typhoon made landfall and was attempting to contact their landlord to learn if their home has been affected.

Due to the record-setting rainfall and flooding, the e-mail server for the regional office in Manila is inoperable. A back-up plan was in place, making it possible for missionary personnel to remain in contact with the Global Mission (formerly World Mission) office using an alternate e-mail system.

Twenty-five provinces were placed under a "state of calamity." Manila received more than 341 millimeters (13 inches) of rain between 8 a.m. and 2 p.m. local time -- the most rain in a single period since 1967, according to GMANews.tv.