Typhoon Haiyan-Yolanda

Looks as though we have a major situation that calls for prayer.  This storm will be worse than Sandy. It's going by two different names, Haiyan and Yolanda, and I hope it won't cause two times the damage.

Here is some of what CNN has to say:  Super Typhoon Haiyan, one of strongest storms ever, heads for central Philippines

By Jethro Mullen, CNN

updated 12:32 PM EST, Thu November 7, 2013

(CNN) -- Thousands of people in vulnerable areas of the Philippines are being relocated as the strongest storm on the planet so far this year spins toward the country. 

With sustained winds of 305 kph (190 mph) and gusts as strong as 370 kph (230 mph), Super Typhoon Haiyan was churning across the Western Pacific toward the central Philippines as one of the most intense tropical cyclones ever recorded.

Its wind strength makes it equivalent to an exceptionally strong Category 5 hurricane.The storm, known as Yolanda in the Philippines, is expected to still be a super typhoon, with winds in excess of 240 kph (149 mph), when it makes landfall Friday morning in the region of Eastern Visayas. The storm is so large in diameter that clouds from it are affecting two-thirds of the country.

Philippines braces for super typhoon

Authorities in the region had moved more than 3,800 people to evacuation centers by late Thursday, Maj. Reynaldo Balido of the Philippine Office of Civil Defense said.

http://www.cnn.com/2013/11/07/world/asia/philippines-typhoon-haiyan/index.html

What's more, there were hundreds of thousands displaced in one region by an earthquake last year - and we know what that looks like.  If this sort of storm were to hit Haiti, I don't know how many decades it would take to recover.  Fortunately, most of those people are no longer homeless; not that this is much comfort for those who are still in tents.

About this, the BBC says,

In its path are areas already struggling to recover from a 7.3-magnitude earthquake last month, including the worst-hit island of Bohol.

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said in a website update that the storm was likely to create "rough to very rough seas".

About 5,000 people are still living in tents in Bohol after losing their homes in the quake, which killed more than 200 people.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-24846813

Keep all in the path of the storm in your prayers, please, as well as for those working to evacuate and prepare in advance.

Jesus, you are our anchor in the storm and our shelter from the wind.

Lord Jesus, you who walked on the waters and calmed the stormy weather, calm these winds now and steady our brothers and sisters as they prepare.  Give wisdom to those making decisions, move people to safety, protect those in its path, strengthen those working to assist others, and throughout this time give them peace and a sense of your presence.  All this we ask in your dear name.