Taiwanese Catholics help typhoon victims with food, shelter

(Aug.11,2009): Catholic bishops in Taiwan have asked their people to pray for the victims of “Typhoon Morakot,” which dumped more than 80 inches of rain on the island during the second weekend in August. Catholics and others in disaster-stricken areas, are helping victims with food and shelter, and the Chinese Regional Bishops' Conference in Taiwan planned further action, said Father Otfriend Chan, secretary-general of the conference. He said Caritas and the Taiwan Catholic Mission Foundation, two local Catholic organizations, were collecting donations. He added that Taiwanese bishops made an official appeal in the local Catholic newspaper, asking people to pray for the victims and their families by holding vigils or attending Mass.
“Typhoon Morakot” left 21 people dead in the Philippines, then moved on to Taiwan and eastern China. A mudslide in a Taiwanese mountain village may have buried up to 600 people, according to The Associated Press. Typhoon Etau hit western Japan Aug. 10, killing at least 12 people. The two storms displaced nearly 9 million people, and hundreds were feared dead, according to news reports.