Tropical Storm Trami (also known as Typhoon Kristine) moved across the Philippines in recent days, leaving more than 150 people dead and entire communities devastated by floods and mudslides.

Trami hit the island of Luzon, which includes the capital Manila, bringing two months’ worth of rain to some areas in just 24 hours. It dumped garbage in the Vietnamese city of Danang on Sunday after crossing the South China Sea.

The Archdiocese of Lipa in the Philippines, which includes some of the areas south of Manila that suffered severe mudslides, said in a Facebook post on Monday that Archbishop Gilbert Garcera is “calling for help and prayers for the victims of Typhoon Kristine in Batangas province. .”

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“I continue to pray for our province because after the storm hit us, many are suffering and many need prayer. For now, I am asking for your help, especially our brothers and sisters who were hit by the typhoon,” Garcera said.

According to the archdiocese, based on the latest report of the Lipa Archdiocesan Social Action Commission (LASAC), the death toll in Batangas province has reached 43, while the search continues for at least 22 missing. Currently, some 13,000 families — more than 44,000 people — are temporarily housed in 277 evacuation centers in different parts of Batangas, the archdiocese said.

The staff and volunteers of the social arm of the Archdiocese of Lipa held a Mass in memory of those who died as a result of the disaster, as well as for those who continue to serve and help the victims.

Caritas Manila, a charitable agency of the Church, is expected to send food packages and non-food items as additional help to meet the needs of families in evacuation centers, the Archdiocese concluded.

The Philippines, one of the world’s most disaster-prone countries, is hit by about 20 tropical storms and typhoons – as hurricanes are called in the Eastern Hemisphere – each year.