ABOUT £9,000 was donated by people in Oxfordshire to the stricken victims of a typhoon in the Philippines.

The money donated to the Philippines Typhoon Appeal run by CAFOD, the Catholic Agency for Overseas Development to help people like Prospero and Elena Abuama.

During the early hours of November 8, their home on the Guiuan peninsula was one of the first to be hit by the devastating 170mph winds. As the couple hid beneath their kitchen table, the roof fell in on them.

Now, 12 months on, they are living in a new home thanks to the donations to Cafod.

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Mrs Abuama said: “We were so scared. There was a terrifying noise like a whistling and then boom, our roof fell down on the kitchen table where we were hiding, and rain was pouring in.

“The storm lasted six hours. We thought we were about to die.”

After the disaster struck, people from Oxfordshire rallied round to raise funds, including the Filipino Community of Oxfordshire, which raised £1,000 within 24 hours. The money has contributed to food, water, sanitation, new homes and fishing boats.

The typhoon affected 14 million people, with 6,000 people dying and five million losing their homes. For further information, visit cafod.org.uk


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