Alright, I’ll try this again…

I had an update mostly written when we had a sudden brownout and the computer I was using shut down suddenly.

I thought that I had updated here on Wednesday, but I cannot find it here anyway. Anyway, I posted merely to announce that we were expecting a typhoon and that I’d see what would happen in the next few days. Well, the typhoon hit. And it hit hard. Originally, it was forecasted that Typhoon Xangsane (Milenyo) would be a signal 2 storm, but when it hit Bicol (after already going through part of the Visayas) it was at signal 3 level. I’ve heard that it’s considered a Category 4 storm, which is what Hurricane Hugo was when it hit Charleston. Even though Milenyo’s left us here, it’s still traveling on to Vietnam to do some damage there.

The storm hit hardest in Bicol, but it’s been said to be the strongest typhoon to hit Manila in over a decade. For the most part, things here are crippled. Here in the city, power just returned in the center about 36 hours ago. Cell service was out for 48 hours and is still pretty spotty. I was unable to use an ATM to access money (which was worrying, because I hadn’t withdrawn extra cash in preparation and was running dangerously low) until yesterday afternoon. Finding an internet cafe with a connection has been a challenge that I only finally won this morning. And this is in the city. And we aren’t on the coast. I hear that three of the coastal cities farther south of where I am were very badly damaged and won’t be getting basic services back for a while longer.

Outside of the city, there is a wide range of damage. My apartment, where I weathered the storm, is undamaged as far as I know. My school, which is only 100 meters away, had several of the classrooms damaged by falling trees and 100+ mph winds peeling back the metal sheet roofing. There is no power in my town and there probably will not be for another week at least. On the road between my town and Naga City, there are large trees down on the road, entire houses have been flattened, power lines lie in the mud and the thick concrete poles that support the power lines lie snapped like twigs on the side of the highway. Many of the houses near the road are also flooded with several feet of muddy water.

To make all of this better, I have heard already from several people that another typhoon may be brewing and could hit here within the next week. If that happens, who knows when things will return to normal…

In the meantime, I am well. My house is dark and hot and my refrigerator is currently serving as an expensive cupboard for non-perishable goods, but I’m ok. Many people were not so lucky. I’m not sure what will be going on at my school in the near future, but that is not all completely typhoon-related. More news on that later after I talk things over with the proper people here.