Urgent Prayer Request: From YWAM Haiti
Haiti. We'd like to call people to prayer for our city and the countryside surrounding it. There seems to be an outbreak of some kind of a water-borne disease where people who contract it come down with severe diarrhea resulting in death within 24-48 hours. We do not have concrete numbers of how many have actually died to date, only scattered reports from Haitians seeking aid and purified water saying; ‘Many, Many, Many people are dead or sick!’ The hospital in St Marc is filling up with cases and our clinic down the road has been made ready for overflow. Pray: that God would hear our prayers and for a breakthrough by the health professionals to combat this outbreak. More: http://www.breakingchristiannews.com/articles/display_art.html?ID=8326
Philippines: Super typhoon leaves 200,000 homeless
Typhoon Megi left a trail of destruction in the northern Philippines before gathering strength and heading towards China. Officials there said at least 200,000 people remained homeless with the cost to infrastructure estimated to have caused more than US$100 million in damages. The storm is described as the worst for many years. Taiwan's central government has mobilized 31,610 soldiers nationwide to be on alert as Typhoon Megi moves near the island on its way to China. In Southeast China hundreds of thousands of people have been evacuated from coastal areas, disaster relief authorities said on Thursday. Megi is forecast to make landfall on the east coast in Guangdong Province around Saturday, according to the Fujian Provincial Meteorological Department. Pray: that the thousands made homeless and injured by this typhoon would quickly receive exactly what is needed. (Ps.10:14)
Brazil: Drought
Brazil has extended emergency drought measures across the Amazon State as key waterways and rivers are completely parched in the worst drought in decades. The seven months drought has affected 40,000 people in communities depending on the rainforest for sustenance and the government has airlifted six tonnes of food and 200 tonnes of donations to 25 stricken villages. Aid delivery has been slow due to the low water levels in rivers preventing large vessels from navigating them, consequently transportation can only be done by canoe. In some places, people are running out of food and many people are suffering intestinal problems caused by poor water quality. The drought is an extreme weather event resulting from El Nino in late 2009 with its fallout being felt this year. Pray: for God to show entrepreneurs, farmers and governments His way forward as they work with the earth's resources. (Ps.65:9) More: http://english.aljazeera.net/news/americas/2010/10/2010101704539981971.html
Iraq: Refugees regret returning
‘Most refugees who have returned to Iraq have since regretted their move after finding that they faced persistent threats to their security’ a UN refugee agency said on Tuesday. The survey found 34% said they were uncertain whether they would stay permanently in Iraq and would consider seeking asylum in neighbouring countries once again if conditions do not improve. Returnees highlighted instances of ‘explosions, harassment, military operations and kidnapping’ as evidence of the insecurity. But many also said they had been forced to return to Iraq because they could no longer afford the high cost of living in asylum countries. More than three-quarters of returnees did not go back to their original place of residence but sought shelter with their relatives, friends or rented other accommodation. Pray: that Christians in Iraq have opportunities to come alongside those searching for security and hope. (Jer.31:17)
