LDS among 240 dead in Philippine storm

MANILA, Philippines — At least 24 members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are among the more than 200 dead after tropical storm Ketsana scythed across the northern Philippines over the weekend, church officials said.

Overwhelmed rescue crews today confirmed the deaths of at least 240 people from the Philippine capital of Manila and its surrounding towns.

The storm, which dumped more than a month's worth of rain in 12 hours, damaged 15 LDS Church meetinghouses in the region, according to church spokesman Cody Craynor.

"The total number of members affected by the flooding is still being assessed; however, all church missionaries are safe and accounted for," Craynor said.

Local missionaries and church members are participating in massive cleanup efforts from the country's worst flooding conditions in more than 40 years, he said.

Church members in unaffected areas mobilized to donate clothing and bedding while the church's welfare operations are purchasing locally available supplies such as food, water, clothing, hygiene items and other relief for distribution among flood victims.

The National Disaster Coordinating Council said Tuesday the homes of nearly 1.9 million people in the capital and surrounding areas were inundated, with nearly 380,000 people brought to schools, churches and other evacuation centers.

Overwhelmed officials have called for international help, warning they may not have sufficient resources to withstand another storm that forecasters say is brewing east of the island nation and could hit as early as Friday.

Troops, police and volunteers have already rescued more than 12,359 people, but unconfirmed reports of more deaths abound, Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro said.

The extent of devastation became clearer Monday as TV networks broadcast images of mud-covered communities, cars upended on city streets and reported huge numbers of villagers without drinking water, food and power.

In Manila's suburban Marikina city, a sofa hung from electric wires.

Since the storm struck, the government has declared a "state of calamity" in metropolitan Manila and 25 storm-hit provinces, allowing officials to use emergency funds for relief and rescue.

The United States has donated $100,000 and deployed a military helicopter and five rubber boats manned by about 20 American soldiers from the country's south, where they have been providing counterterrorism training. The United Nations Children's Fund and the World Food Program have also provided food and other aid.

Contributing: Jim Gomez, Associated Press

e-mail: jhancock@desnews.com