Yap, Micronesia …. [ANN Staff]
For the second time this year a storm has damaged the Seventh-day Adventist school in the Yap state on the islands of Micronesia. Typhoon Nanmadal devastated the Philippines and left hundreds dead, then lost power as it touched down on Micronesia as a tropical storm Nov. 30. The storm caused only minor damages to crops, homes and buildings, and there were no fatalities, according to the Pacific Daily News.
“This typhoon was less severe than the one that devastated the island last April,” said Keith Rodman, education director for the Guam Micronesia Mission of the Adventist Church. “This storm only tore off the roof of the kindergarten to third grade building,” he added.
“However, this is a big loss for the school which is already struggling,” Rodman told ANN.
In April this year, three of the campus’ seven buildings were destroyed and property damage totaled approximately U.S. $500,000 when typhoon Sudal hit, according to Rodman. Many of the island’s 8,000 residents were homeless after Sudal destroyed their homes.
The Yap Adventist school began in 1987 and has 224 students. The Federated States of Micronesia, a grouping of hundreds of small islands in the Western Pacific lying just above the Equator, is home to nearly 4,000 Adventist church members.
Copyright © 2004 by Adventist News Network.
