Credit: www.pagasa.dost.gov.ph/
MANILA, Nov. 6, 2013— As supertyphoon “Haiyan” moves closer to the Philippines, Filipinos rely on prayer that it slows down and will not wreak havoc in Eastern Visayas and other provinces.
In the Diocese of Borongan in Eastern Samar, all parishes offered the Mass as a special intention for areas that will be affected by the typhoon.
“We pray that the typhoon will not make a landfall so that it will not bring terrible damage to people,” Fr. Juderick Calumpiano, Borongan diocese’s Social Action Center director, said.
According to him, authorities have already alerted the residents to brace for the coming typhoon, which is expected to make landfall in eastern Visayas on Friday.
The Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said it would affect the Visayas and parts of Luzon and Mindanao.
In an advisory Wednesday Morning, the state weather bureau said the typhoon was at 1,411 km east of Mindanao, packing maximum sustained winds of 120 kms per hour and gusts of up to 150 kph.
The typhoon will be locally named “Yolanda” once it enters the Philippine area of responsibility on Thursday.
Calumpiano also said that disaster preparedness in the region are now preparing for the strong typhoon that may raise signal number 4 in areas to be hit by Haiyan.
“We already advised the communities to prepare,” he said, adding that the damages that the typhoon may cause maybe minimized if people take precautionary measures.
Prayers were also offered in all churches in the Diocese of Legazpi in Albay province as the typhoon nears the country.
Calumpiano called on the faithful to continue offering prayers that the typhoon will spare the country still reeling from deadly earthquake, floods and landslides. (CBCPNews)
