Riding Out The Storm

*Delay in posting is due to power outages and fluctuating DSL service.

Typhoon PEDRING

9/27/2001 9:41 AM

Ealier today, I was awakened by the unmistakable sensation of minute water droplets hitting my face. We've been bracing for this storm for a couple of days now and the news said it would hit us at around 2am. I staggered to my feet, tried to close the offending window (the handle of which would not budge a centimeter) and went to the other rooms to close other windows facing the general direction where the wind was coming from. After a bit of effort wrestling with unvielding hinges and a few spritzes of WD-40 for good measure, I went for breakfast to prepare for the day.

I didn't really mind getting up early, but this day was a bit more imporntant. It was another "interview day", and as I prepared myself to go out and face the elements, I wondered whether it would be called off. Lo and behold, around 15 minutes bedore I was scheduled to leave the house, the call came, and I was granted a reprieve. Now I'm presently at home with no power while the strongest strom so far this year rages all around.

When I first saw the satellite images of the storm yeaterday on my favorite weather site, I was a bit concerned since the people on the news were saying this was a storm that wound probably be like ONDOY, which wreaked havoc upon the Philppines a couple of years back. Our house was not spared its wrath, as we experienced the worst-ever flooding to hit our area which left our house filled knee-deep in filthy water.

Last night, I noticed that it was really quiet outside, with very little traffic heard on the streets despite it being realtively early (9pm, as I recall). I guess people were not taking chances and wisely just stayed indoors. It was such an eerie calm, surreal in fact. I don't think I have ever experienced such a quiet night, even on excursions to the provinces.

Then the storm hit. Fortunately, this is turning out to be what I would call a "wind storm" wherein the predominant feature is strong gale-force wind. Don't get me wrong. Winds may also wreak a lot of havoc and cause it's fair share of property damage, but I think torrential rains causing massive floods would me more of a concern here from where I stand.

Hmm, the rains and wind seem to have a "waxing and waning pattern", with episodes of strong winds pelting you with almost horizontal rain that alternate with complete breaks in the action. I just hope that the rainfall dosen't get any worse, as a sustained downpour may cause overflowing of the waterways resulting in widespread flooding. In fact, mom says there are already reports of flooded areas around the metro.

The good news is that this storm is predicted to leave the RP at around 3pm local time. Lets keep our fingers crossed, our heads down, and our toes dry.

*aftermath story in next post