Super-typhoon Haiyan (Philippine name Yolanda) is likely the strongest typhoon or hurricane on record with sustained winds of 195-199 mph and gusts up to 235 mph. The storm itself was 300 miles wide and created additional cloud cover over nearly the whole Philippine nation. It was equal to a Category 5 hurricane. Category 5 hurricanes include Hurricane Camille which hit the U.S. with winds up to 190 mph in 1969, Katrina which hit with 175 mph winds in 2005, and Wilma which hit the Caribbean Sea with 185 mph winds in 2005.
The same type storms are called “hurricanes” in the Atlantic and Northeast Pacific, “typhoons” in the Northwest Pacific, and “cyclones” in the South Pacific and Indian Ocean.
Haiyan hit the Visayan Islands in the central Philippines with the greatest concentration on Samar and Leyte. Damage is still being assessed but over 100 people are known to be dead. In spite of great devastation, many people were evacuated to places of relative safety.
We are beginning to get reports of widespread damage to the homes of brethren at Tacloban City and Ormoc City on Leyte, and at Bogo on Cebu. While waiting for more information, let us pray for our brethren as well as alien sinners who are suffering from the typhoon in many ways at this time.
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