November 12, 2025, 3:46 PM MST
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is conducting humanitarian relief efforts in the Philippines after Typhoon Karmaegi left multiple people dead and caused widespread flooding and devastation.
The death toll had increased to at least 232 as of Wednesday, Nov. 23, according to the Associated Press.
Most of these deaths were reported in Central Cebu province.
According to Provincial Forecaster Benison Estarreja, Typhoon Karmaegi tore through the central region on Tuesday, November 4, dumping about a month and a half’s worth of rain in just one day on Cebu Island and other central island provinces. The typhoon, locally known as Typhoon Tino, had winds of 163 miles per hour (a Category 2 storm) when it made landfall in the central Philippines. The typhoon moved west, intensifying to 196 mph (a Category 3 storm) and made landfall in Vietnam early Thursday morning, Nov. 6, according to the Associated Press.
More than 560,000 people in the Philippines have been evacuated due to the typhoon, with nearly 450,000 of those evacuated to emergency evacuation centers, the Associated Press reported.
Philippine Newsroom posted on social media on Thursday, November 6, that local church leaders activated emergency response plans including food, clean drinking water, hygiene kits, water filtration buckets, and Starlink internet access.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has opened nearly 90 meetinghouses as temporary evacuation centers for affected areas. More than 7,300 people have taken shelter in these gathering places.
According to Philippine Newsroom, eight assembly halls were damaged, with roof leaks, flooding and one minor fire.
The Cebu City Temple in the Philippines suffered a minor water leak, but is still fully operational.
Approximately 6,200 church members were affected by the typhoon, many of whom experienced damage to their homes and loss of property.
All missionaries in the affected areas are safe and accountable. New missionaries assigned to severely affected areas will temporarily stay at a missionary training center in Manila while their apartments are prepared.
Philippine Newsroom also reported that “additional assistance remains urgently needed, especially food, water, hygiene kits, temporary shelter, medicines, vitamins, generators and internet connectivity.”
Members of the Philippine Area Presidency work closely with local church leaders and Cebu City officials to provide ongoing support.
The latest typhoon, equivalent to an Atlantic hurricane, follows a magnitude 6.9 earthquake that struck Cebu and surrounding provinces on Sept. 30, prompting church leaders to urgently respond.
Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints also rallied to support local communities after Typhoon Komei made landfall on July 25, providing shelter, supplies and hands-on service.
Updated November 12, 2025:
Another strong storm moved across the northwestern Philippines on Monday, days after Typhoon Karmaegi.
Typhoon Fanwon caused more flooding, landslides, power outages, and several deaths. More than 1 million people were forced to evacuate from flood- and landslide-prone areas, according to the Associated Press.
Fanwon was classified as a super typhoon with maximum sustained winds of 115 mph and maximum gusts of 143 mph.
Editor’s note: This article was originally published and updated on Friday, November 7, 2025.
