Typhoon Vongfong (locally known as Ambo) made landfall on the island of Samar on May 14, 2020. The Category 3 typhoon, the first tropical storm of 2020 in the Western Pacific Ocean, battered Samar with winds of up to 185 kilometers per hour (115 mph). Hundreds of thousands of people were evacuated, a process that proved to be especially complicated because of government-mandated physical distancing.

While none of our brothers and sisters were injured, 59 of them had to evacuate their homes. They were accommodated either in schools, which are being used as shelters, or in the homes of fellow Witnesses. Additionally, 82 of our brothers’ homes were either destroyed or damaged. Five Kingdom Halls were also damaged, and one was completely destroyed. The Philippines Branch Committee has formed two Disaster Relief Committees to respond to the physical and spiritual needs of our affected brothers and sisters.

We will continue to pray for our brothers in the Philippines who are enduring the dual disasters of a typhoon and a pandemic. We are fully confident that Jehovah, our “eternal Rock,” will continue to care for their needs.—Isaiah 26:4.