Flood relief provided by Church members

Church News

Flood relief provided by Church members

By Elder James Phillips and Sister Judith Phillips
Taiwan public affairs missionaries

Published: Saturday, Aug. 22, 2009

TAIPEI, TAIWAN

Typhoon Morakot slammed into the Pacific island home of 23 million people on Saturday, Aug. 8, Taiwan's Father's Day The giant storm brought with it the heaviest rainfall in 50 years.

Taiwan Taichung Mission President Michael Hoer described the more-than two meters (80-100 inches) of rain that fell during the storm as "the amount of precipitation that Utah would see in four years."

Elder James Phillips

Church members in Taipei, Taiwan, help load a truck with donated supplies for delivery to victims of the typhoon.

The result was devastating flash floods and landslides that buried villages, displaced thousands and brought a death toll that might top 500. On Aug. 19 there were 136 confirmed dead and 386 missing. Many from remote mountain villages are still not accounted for.

As of press time, no Church members were known to have lost their lives, although many had their homes damaged extensively. There was no serious damage to any Church buildings and all missionaries are safe.

Dozens of missionaries from the Taichung mission, along with hundreds of members from throughout Taiwan, put on "Mormon Helping Hands" vests and gave several days of service cleaning mud from homes and businesses. The clean-up work will continue for weeks to come.

Photo by Elder Dennis Sparrow

Missionaries of the Taiwan Taichung mission helped in the early stages of clean up in Qishan, Taiwan.

The mud left behind was 3 to 5 feet deep in places, reported humanitarian missionary Elder Dennis Sparrow.

President Hoer said, "Our elder and sister missionaries have helped residents clean over 40 homes and businesses in the township of Qishan the first week after the storm."

Photo by Elder James Phillips

Church members in Taipei, Taiwan, help load a truck with donated supplies for delivery to victims of the typhoon.

Elder Joseph Chung, Area Seventy for central and southern Taiwan, traveled to the region and met with government and local priesthood leaders to discuss plans for further Church assistance. Elder Chung was assigned by the Asia Area presidency to direct the Church's relief efforts in Taiwan.

Elder Stanley Wan, Area Seventy and Church welfare services manager for all of Asia, flew to Taiwan from his Hong Kong base to help develop a strategic recovery plan.

Photo by Elder Dennis Sparrow

Missionaries shovel mud deposited in a building by Typhoon Morakot flooding

Meanwhile, truckloads of donated relief supplies have been shipped out of the Church's Taiwan headquarters in Taipei where effects of the storm were minimal. Local chapels are being used as staging areas for supplies and Mormon Helping Hands recovery efforts.

© 2009 Deseret News Publishing Company