ChippyWho Posted November 8, 2013 Share Posted November 8, 2013 The good news is the people I care about are all safe....all their houses survived.....so all is good. The lack of rain was a real bonus.....6 feet of water in a city or town or village is pretty devastating for people so poor. It appears this might be the worst typhoon in history..... Hi Steve. That sounds like a WIN! The event has started making the headlines here (UK); it looks pretty dire from some of the footage, so really good to know you guys are OK. I heard The Beast is headed for 'Nam next, where it will be even stronger... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Maker Posted November 8, 2013 Share Posted November 8, 2013 Good to hear that it sped through the Philippines. Hopefully the damage and loss of life will be low because of this. Good on you Steve for doing what you can to help. The event has started making the headlines here (UK); ---I heard The Beast is headed for 'Nam next, where it will be even stronger... BBC news trying to make it sound a little more dramatic? "Haiyan will steadily decay over the next two days, due to colder waters and higher wind shear. However, it will still likely be a formidable Category 1 or 2 typhoon when it makes landfall in Vietnam near 06 UTC Sunday." Source: http://www.wunderground.com/blog/JeffMasters/comment.html?entrynum=2574 Of course it will likely cause huge problems for the Vietnamese where they are likely to receive a deluge of rain as the storm slows and dumps on them, but the storm is not going to get stronger. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Jinxter13 Posted November 8, 2013 Share Posted November 8, 2013 (edited) So the 5 of us sit here tonight with resort generator power.....an internet connection and in complete awe of the experience. :banana: for you making it thru the storm OK. Tha fact that you are sending this is great news enough...to the powers above THANK YOU, and may God send blessings to aid in the nations' recovery. My best wishes for the survivors, and my condolences to the families of those lost. It seems the loss of life is minimal, however one is too many. Edited November 8, 2013 by #1 Greywolf Quote Link to post Share on other sites
SBARC Posted November 9, 2013 Author Share Posted November 9, 2013 We all survived the storm just fine......the amazing thing about this typhoon was how dry it was. There was almost no rain.....but the winds were freaky powerful, but thankfully due to the very low rain fall the loss of life was very very minimal. I got to bed around 3am as the storm died down and woke up before 6 intent on making a noon flight to begin my journey home. The boat ride from the resort island was over very calm waters.......an air conditioned van had been arranged for me by one of the guys that rode out the storm in my hotel room. Then the 90 minute van ride through utter destruction along a twisty 2 lane country highway. So many power poles and trees were snapped off and blocking part of the road. I could see damage and destruction everywhere I look. There is still plenty of structures that were almost undamaged but I would say almost every structure sustained some damage and hundreds and hundreds of homes were destroyed from what I could see just on the 90 minute 2 lane twisty country highway ride from the boat docks to the airport in Kalibo through Aklan province. I did see signs of one minor landside that had been cleared from the road. The general plan seems to be to clear 1 lane of this highway to get it open.....then go back and clear the rest of the highway. It is basically a twisty 2 lane country road. The local people are amazing.....everyone I have seen have been busy clearing the roads, doing home repairs etc and generally cleaning up and getting back to business. Many many trees and homes survived the storm. It seems if your bamboo home was in a more protected area it did just fine. The concrete block homes faired much better but most in Aklan province sustained some roof damage etc with metal roof bent back as if a giant was opening a can of sardines. I got to Kalibo airport 1 hour before my flight to Manila only to learn the terminal was damaged and closed until Nov 11 and the whole city of kalibo is without power and will be like that for probably 1 week. Philippines airlines has cancelled all flights until Monday Nov 11......so I'll sit tight here for 2 days.....and try to book a new flight during that time. There was quite a few stranded tourists in this city all scrambling to the few hotel rooms. I managed to find a modest room with intermitent generator power....so all is good. To give you an idea of this storms power.......I saw a steel light standard.....the big type you would see on any North American road holding a streetlight.....this one appeared to be over 1 foot in diameter at the base.....it was laying on the ground.......bent at a 90 degree angle 2 feet from it's base......damage from that level of force is freaky and very sobering to see. So here I sit with a battery operated laptop posting this message as a small battery powered fan keeps me cool. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
hawkwrench Posted November 9, 2013 Share Posted November 9, 2013 Glad to hear you and Angel's family are ok. Just sit tight and take it easy. This vacation will be one for the memory books that's for sure! Have a safe flight home Steve! Tim Quote Link to post Share on other sites
tobiK Posted November 9, 2013 Share Posted November 9, 2013 So it seams you have to enoy pinoy food for 2 days more! ;-) Yeah, I hope my friends over there in Coron are all ok too. It s in the news here too, but they speak of some hundred ppl died...so sad! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
achook-achook Posted November 9, 2013 Share Posted November 9, 2013 Glad to know everything is Ok from your end Steve. In any case you still have time when you get to Manila, let me know. Cheers, Quote Link to post Share on other sites
SBARC Posted November 10, 2013 Author Share Posted November 10, 2013 Glad to hear you and Angel's family are ok. Just sit tight and take it easy. This vacation will be one for the memory books that's for sure! Have a safe flight home Steve! Tim We haven't heard from Angel's family, but we have heard from members in her larger extended family in the area and the survived although one of her relatives lost his roof. So I'm assuming she survived. There are concrete structures with in 20 feet of her house and a concrete school 100 meters from her home and this storm took hours and hours to arrive. So it seams you have to enoy pinoy food for 2 days more! ;-) Yeah, I hope my friends over there in Coron are all ok too. It s in the news here too, but they speak of some hundred ppl died...so sad! I'm in a complete news black out here with no TV and I haven't checked the news reports on the net yet due to being busy preparing articles for next week. Over 100 dead is horrible news......if this super typhoon was packing the usual rains then the death toll would have been over 1,000 I suspect. Glad to know everything is Ok from your end Steve. In any case you still have time when you get to Manila, let me know. Cheers, Thanks Tony.....I'll have to see how things go.....I'll try to keep you posted. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Maker Posted November 10, 2013 Share Posted November 10, 2013 I'm in a complete news black out here with no TV and I haven't checked the news reports on the net yet due to being busy preparing articles for next week. Over 100 dead is horrible news......if this super typhoon was packing the usual rains then the death toll would have been over 1,000 I suspect. Sadly the latest reports are 1,200 or more deaths. http://news.yahoo.com/typhoon-haiyan-flattens-houses-triggers-floods-philippines-least-011653699.html * Quote Link to post Share on other sites
SBARC Posted November 10, 2013 Author Share Posted November 10, 2013 Sadly the latest reports are 1,200 or more deaths. http://news.yahoo.com/typhoon-haiyan-flattens-houses-triggers-floods-philippines-least-011653699.html * Damn.....that is heart breaking......I really hoped the death toll was going to be low somehow, but everyone here is pretty much in the dark....literally and figuratively. I'm actually sitting in a hotel room with no windows at 9am in the pitch black and using a tiny hand held LED flashlight to light my laptop keyboard as I type this. I need to go online to read about this storm. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
hawkwrench Posted November 10, 2013 Share Posted November 10, 2013 Oops! , sorry- I thought I read in a earlier post they were OK. Like you said, there was time to get to a reinforced structure so their chances were pretty good that they got to one I imagine. Sorry for the mixup! Tim Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Jinxter13 Posted November 10, 2013 Share Posted November 10, 2013 Damn.....that is heart breaking......I really hoped the death toll was going to be low somehow, but everyone here is pretty much in the dark....literally and figuratively. I'm actually sitting in a hotel room with no windows at 9am in the pitch black and using a tiny hand held LED flashlight to light my laptop keyboard as I type this. I need to go online to read about this storm. Steve I don't know exactly where you are, but I've just found out that my oldest son has friends in Tacloban, he went there to visit a little over a year ago; I didn't know where they lived only that they were in the P.I., and at present he's trying to find out how they are. I don't think/know if or how soon communications will be possible; he's hoping to hear anything ASAP. He doesn't think their house could take a hit from a storm as bad as this one was. He has tried to contact the Fillipino consulate, but their phone lines are very busy. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
SBARC Posted November 10, 2013 Author Share Posted November 10, 2013 Angel's family Angel's family as well as her grandfather are some of the people that were in an area with no communication.....perhaps the cell phone towers were down. The grandfather was well informed by other family by text messages of the strength of the storm as they don't have computers or TV etc. I'm not sure about Angel.....but she lives in a village with many other families.....so I suspect they were well informed. My plan to to see about booking a flight out of the local airport on Monday Nov 11......if I can't do that then I plan to take a 24 hour ferry ride to Manila and get a flight back home. Manila was not badly affected by this storm or at least Manila wasn't brutalized by this storm like other parts of he Philippines. We are heartbroken by the loss of life in some areas.......we really thought the death toll was going to be surprisingly low. But the poorest people tend to live in shantytowns near rivers etc where storm surges tend to do the most damage. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Jay Chladek Posted November 10, 2013 Share Posted November 10, 2013 Considering this storm did a more or less direct strike on Tacloban in Leyte. I've read one report that in and around Tacloban alone there could be thousands dead and footage I saw of the aftermath made it look a bit like the tsunami that hit Indonesia a few years back, but this was due to a storm surge instead of a geologic event. Still, that much water coming in... not good. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
SERNAK Posted November 10, 2013 Share Posted November 10, 2013 Stay safe there Steve! One important piece of kit missing though......a model kit to work on. :rolleyes:/> Good thinking!! And as Greywolf says, "and if I may suggest hedge your bet with a few phrases to the BIG guy upstairs" Wish you a safe return back home. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Rick in Maine Posted November 10, 2013 Share Posted November 10, 2013 Steve: Thanks for getting word out to your ARC community. You've got friends worldwide watching for information. The news reports are still vague and noncommittal. Understandable, given the damage. Hope you have the basics…food, water, shelter…to keep going until you are able to leave 11 Nov or whenever. Some news sources are saying the calvary is on the way i.e. military and professional aid groups. We care, even from afar. Rick in Maine USA Quote Link to post Share on other sites
hacker Posted November 10, 2013 Share Posted November 10, 2013 (edited) My wife's parents live in a village named Himarco just outside Palompon, Leyte. We have not heard from them since Wednesday. Her village lied right in the path of the eye. We got some pictures of the town of Palompon from various sources that been circulating As you can see all the trees and vegetation is either damaged or simply gone. We own a farm there where her parents live and her father farms it for us and to make them a living. I am afraid what it looks like now as before it look like paradise The US government has committed Men , material and money to these people. On the behalf of the wife and I we thank the people of the USA for their support. I know some of you have a beef with your government sending money to people who either do not need it or do not deserve it but in this case these are good people who find themselves in a situation beyond what they are used to and truly are our neighbours that need our help thank you Edited November 10, 2013 by hacker Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ABARC Posted November 11, 2013 Share Posted November 11, 2013 When are you going to be back home? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
tosouthern66 Posted November 11, 2013 Share Posted November 11, 2013 The people in the Philippines are worthy of our assistance! If it had not been for them WW2 would have gone on longer and maybe the wrong way. I spent a few days there while in the Navy and I know they are worthy people. Hope they stay strong and safe! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
SBARC Posted November 11, 2013 Author Share Posted November 11, 2013 When are you going to be back home? I have a flight booked to Manila in about 5 or 6 hours.....then I will camp at the airport until they give me a flight home. I'm hoping to be back to work on Friday......but I seriously doubt I can work before then. I'll send you an e-mail with more detail. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
SBARC Posted November 11, 2013 Author Share Posted November 11, 2013 The people in the Philippines are worthy of our assistance! If it had not been for them WW2 would have gone on longer and maybe the wrong way. I spent a few days there while in the Navy and I know they are worthy people. Hope they stay strong and safe! You will not find kinder people than in the Philippines. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
SBARC Posted November 11, 2013 Author Share Posted November 11, 2013 Steve I don't know exactly where you are, but I've just found out that my oldest son has friends in Tacloban, he went there to visit a little over a year ago; I didn't know where they lived only that they were in the P.I., and at present he's trying to find out how they are. I don't think/know if or how soon communications will be possible; he's hoping to hear anything ASAP. He doesn't think their house could take a hit from a storm as bad as this one was. He has tried to contact the Fillipino consulate, but their phone lines are very busy. Hi Clif.....that area is where all the deaths were. It seems if you lived along the coast the storm surge was what killed so many people. Still the bulk of people survived.....so the odds are they survived if they did not stay in a shantytown near water. Sorry for using the word shantytown but it best describes the poorest neighbourhoods here. I'm surprised folks near the water weren't evacuated to save them from the storm surge......maybe people decided to stay home to protect their meager belongings. It will be nearly impossible to get any info until the cell phone towers are replaced or repaired.....and I suspect that if one of the top priorities.......this society lives through text messages. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
SBARC Posted November 11, 2013 Author Share Posted November 11, 2013 Steve: Thanks for getting word out to your ARC community. You've got friends worldwide watching for information. The news reports are still vague and noncommittal. Understandable, given the damage. Hope you have the basics…food, water, shelter…to keep going until you are able to leave 11 Nov or whenever. Some news sources are saying the calvary is on the way i.e. military and professional aid groups. We care, even from afar. Rick in Maine USA Leyte got crushed.....I suspect he bulk of relief is going there. I walked around Kalibo yesterday......trike cabs are all operating and even the local Sunday(?) street market was set up. These people struggle to survive each day going from meal to meal but somehow they pick up the broken pieces and continue on. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
hacker Posted November 11, 2013 Share Posted November 11, 2013 found out the wife's family is alive and well just the house needs minor roof repairs but others were not so lucky. A lot of the village is simply gone. We have sent her youngest brother who is going to school in another part of the country with strict marching orders of buy as much food as you can and take it home. Thanks for all your prays and well wishes they seem to have worked Quote Link to post Share on other sites
rustywelder Posted November 11, 2013 Share Posted November 11, 2013 Hacker, MY co-worker and good mate is from Leyte, and is still awaiting word from his aunty and uncle. They have heard from his grandmother and she is alright but it sounded, from what he was telling me most of his town was crushed. He is currently trying to find a way to get her moved elsewhere. My thoughts go out to every on in the Phillipines. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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