wfn.org | TYPHOON BART STRIKES HARD IN OKINAWA

[LEAH_MCCARTER.parti@ecunet.org (LEAH MCCARTER)]

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Typhoon Bart Strikes Hard in Okinawa

AMERICAN BAPTIST NEWS SERVICE 
Office of Communication  
American Baptist Churches USA 
P.O. Box 851, Valley Forge, PA 19482-0851 
Phone: (610)768-2077 / Fax: (610)768-2320 
Web: www.abc-usa.org
Richard W. Schramm, Director 
 E-mail: richard.schramm@abc-usa.org

Typhoon Bart Strikes Hard in Okinawa

 Typhoon Bart swept through Okinawa, Japan, last 
Wednesday and Thursday, bringing high winds and 19 inches of 
rain within 24 hours that produced widespread damage to the 
island.   
 "Wednesday afternoon winds were clocked at 192 miles 
per hour just a mile or so from our house," said Marty 
Murray, International Ministries missionary to Okinawa.  
"The winds and rain noise were so loud most of the evening 
that we had to be right next to each other to hear the other 
speak."  
 "Damage was widespread over the island," according to 
Murray, "most of it from the wind blowing trees over and 
flooding when drains could not keep up."  About two dozen 
people were injured and more than 110,000 homes were left 
without power.  The Murrays' home had some minor water 
damage.
 The Annual Meeting of the Okinawa Baptist Convention 
did convene as scheduled on Thursday, although portable 
generators had to be used when electricity went out at the 
church where the meeting was taking place.
 The typhoon continued on a course through Japan's 
southern islands of Japan late last week, claiming at least 
22 lives there.    

9/27/99
WFN927B
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