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Date: January 20, 1998 
SAIPAN (UMNS) -- Members of a United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) team talked with victims of three successive typhoons here during a mid-January assessment visit. Lorraine Kadooka of Honolulu, disaster response coordinator for United Methodists in the Pacific, reported that residents of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands "need our prayers and loving generosity."Other members of the team included Kathy Thomas-Sano of Pasadena, Calif.; Gordon Knuckey of Denver, Colo., and Bob Blair of Woodstock, Va.
Escorted by the Rev. Barbara Grace Ripple, pastor of the only United Methodist Church on Saipan, the team toured damaged areas and participated in a meeting of several church organizations. Those groups will function as an interfaith consortium to provide disaster relief, supplementing the work of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
"Our United Methodist church on Saipan was severely damaged on one side and will require much financial aid from individual contributions," Kadooka said. "They are not eligible for federal assistance."
Supertyphoon Joan hit the commonwealth's three most densely populated islands of Saipan (52,698 people), Tinian (2,631) and Rota (3,509) on Oct. 7-8. Repairs from Joan were incomplete when Supertyphoon Keith hit the islands on Nov. 2, with the eye of the storm passing 25 miles north of Rota. At its peak, Keith sustained winds of 185 mph, with gusts up to 225 mph.
On Dec. 16-17, Supertyphoon Paka passed over the northern part of Guam, with sustained winds of 150 mph and gusts up to 235 mph. Paka continued on and struck Rota, which suffered major damage to its seaport, airport, schools, office buildings and homes. The three supertyphoons seriously degraded the commonwealth's resources and prompted President Clinton to sign a major disaster declaration for the islands. So far, 143 businesses and 1,713 families have applied for federal assistance.
United Methodists can make monetary donations by designated their checks to UMCOR Advance #982515-0, "Hurricanes '97." Donations can be made through local churches or mailed to UMCOR at 475 Riverside Dr., Room 330, New York, NY 10115.
Source: United Methodist News Service.
*Blair is an UMCOR volunteer.