Super Typhoon Nepartak, Taiwan’s first major tropical storm of the season, made landfall July 8 at about 5:50 a.m. (local time) in the eastern county of Taitung with winds of 234 kilometers per hour (145 mph).

There has been a significant amount of damage left in the wake of the storm. Early reports indicate there has been at least one storm-related fatality.

The island’s central weather bureau said it expected the storm to linger over Taiwan for up to eight hours and warned citizens to prepare for heavy downpours.

The storm system spans 200 kilometers (125 miles) and is moving northwest at 17 kilometers per hour towards mainland China, where it is expected to make landfall Saturday morning.

The district superintendent in Taiwan has contacted every church and up to this point no church has had any problems. Church leaders ask for prayer especially in Taitung, which was hit the hardest. We do not currently have a Nazarene church in that city. The Taiwan church is also asking for prayer for Pintung County, there are 14 churches.

Continued prayer is requested for the people of Taiwan.

--Church of the Nazarene Asia-Pacific Region