Samaritan’s Purse is working through church partners to meet physical needs and share the love of Jesus Christ after a deadly earthquake on the island of Cebu.
Samaritans’ Purse continues to help in the Philippines as communities recover from a 6.9-magnitude earthquake that hit on Sept. 30.
We are distributing supplies in buckets, which are useful for many other applications in disaster situations.
Through our history of work in the Philippines—including current Operation Christmas Child ministry teams and former projects in the country—we have strong partners in Cebu who are committed to sharing the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.
In cooperation with local churches, we are providing quake survivors with shelter, food, and water. Filipino Christians are also bringing encouragement and the comfort of God’s love to hurting people.
So far, we have distributed hygiene kits to more than 1,800 families, supplied more than 2,000 families with food and cooking supplies, and provided more than 2,700 families with shelter kits as they continue to live displaced from their homes in the rainy season.
Residents have shared stories of debris falling around them and of narrow escapes in homes and businesses. They also expressed gratitude for how God has protected and provided for them.
One father recounted how God gave him a sign to return home from a nighttime spearfishing trip. After realizing his flashlight wasn’t working and experiencing other equipment problems, he just decided to go home to be with this family. The earthquake hit shortly after he arrived at his house, just in time for him to shield his pregnant wife and two children with his body as debris fell around them.
Teams are fashioning shelter kits that include tarp, cordage, and other elements for keeping families dry and warm.
With the relief we provided, the family has been able to sleep and enjoy meals together in a field near their home, even as monsoon rains intensify.
We helped a 12-year-old boy, providing him food and water, who said he carried his younger brother from their home amid the powerful aftershocks shortly after the initial quake. When the earth shook that night, they were home alone and both asleep and were startled awake by things falling and breaking in their home. The boy said he initially thought they were being robbed until he heard his neighbors shouting, “Earthquake!”.
They evacuated with their neighbors to higher ground after news of a tsunami warning. He is so thankful for the groceries and other items we provided as they will aid the whole family in the next few days as they try to figure their situation out.
These are just two of many survivor stories shared with our team and partners as they provide assistance to affected communities. As our DART continues to work alongside these many faithful congregations to help communities on Cebu, aftershocks (numbering in the thousands now) continue to rattle communities and damage already-damaged structures.
Please continue to pray for the residents of Cebu and for our church partners and DART members serving them in Jesus’ Name.
Communities in Cebu province have a long road to recovery after the Sept. 30 6.9-magnitude earthquake.
