The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints expresses condolences to the millions affected by Typhoon Haiyan. In the hours before and following Typhoon Haiyan, which struck the Philippines on the morning of November, 8, 2013, Church leaders at Headquarters in Salt Lake City have been in continual contact with regional Church leaders to coordinate emergency relief efforts. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints started to provide shelter, food, water and other basic supplies to evacuees and displaced families. It is estimated that more than 700,000 people have lost their homes.
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According to the Emergency Monitoring Center of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Philippines Area, a total of 14,000 individuals from different parts of the Visayas, Eastern Mindanao and Sorsogon have taken shelter at 200 Church meetinghouses.
Twenty of the 21 missions in the area have reported that all missionaries are safe. Elder W. Craig Zwick, an executive director in the Church's Missionary Department, reports that, “all missionaries were provided a 72-hour kit, were moved to safe locations before the storm and are in areas that were less impacted than the city of Tacloban.” In recent hours, Church leaders have made significant progress establishing contact with missionaries in the Philippines Tacloban Mission.
Additional information will be posted on the Newsroom of the Philippines as it becomes available http://www.mormonnewsroom.ph