We returned home without incident and completed the clean-up of the property around our home to ensure that there was nothing on the grounds that could become missiles if picked up by the heavy winds we were told to expect. We then settled down to supper and a quiet evening and hopefully a good night’s sleep.
The 8th arrived early, it was a short night. There was heavy rain overnight and we thought that the storm must have picked up speed. We needn’t have worried. The early morning news reports indicated that it had in fact picked up speed overnight moving from 25 to 30 kilometres per hour to between 35 and 40 kilometres per hour. The warm waters of the Pacific were encouraging it to build speed and strength. Speed at the centre of the storm was said to now range between 235 and 250 kilometres an hour with landfall being forecast to be in the area of Samar, near Tacloban at somewhere between 10:00 AM and 11:00 AM.
At about that time, we decided after giving the property the ‘once over’ just once more that we need some additional tarps and rope to secure a couple of our outbuildings. We headed off to the Oton Public Market – 11:00 AM on a Thursday morning and the area of the Market should be simply jam packed with people especially with the storm coming in. People, like us making last minute purchases etc…
This is what we found:
[left click on any photo to view in larger format]
It was starting to rain and the wind was picking up with no experience with storms like this I was having second thoughts about heading out, but was convinced by all that we ‘should’ be OK for at least a couple more hours – “don’t worry so much” – the seasoned veterans of tropical storms kept telling me…Sure, so off we went.
The Market and the streets in the area were virtually deserted.
[left click on any photo to view in larger format]
I was happy to get back and finish the preparation work. I was getting terribly anxious by this time.
By the time we finished securing the property, putting in additional water from the deep well for toilets etc…It was coming up to 12:30 PM and it’s about then that when we heard ‘YOLANDA HAS MADE LANDFALL.’ She was packing winds of 315 kilometres per hour and virtually destroyed the first major town it met in its path – Tacloban in Samar. The town was 95 % destroyed – roofs ripped off buildings and spread helter skelter across the landscape, buildings made of “light materials” (read bamboo, plywood and light corrugated metal roofing) sucked away by the massive winds. Rains of biblical proportions. Tacloban, the beautiful ProvincialTown in scenic SamarProvince was now the scene of utter and near total devastation with hundreds of dead, injured and missing. The storm simply roared on, on its path of incredible destruction and into the pages of history as the biggest, baddest storm ever recorded. Could she be the storm of the century? Looks like!
The Governor of Samar was on the airwaves not too long after imploring everyone in her path to take her very seriously because she is the biggest and most severe storm he had ever witnessed, in his lifetime.
Mindless of her legacy in Samar, Yolanda barrelled on across province, into and through Leyte Province, narrowly avoiding making Oromoc another direct hit casualty on her way to back out to sea and Panay Island. She reeked havoc on the Bantayan Islands at the very northeastern tip of Cebu Island where the small fishing village of Bogo was levelled.
Over the warm waters of the Visayan Sea she refreshed herself; recapturing the strength she had lost since making landfall and aimed her supreme majesty at Panay Island.
Next on the hit parade, although not in direct line were: Estancia in Iloilo and a little farther south the fishing town of Concepcion, Iloilo which was seriously devastated with winds said to be in the 190 to 200 kilometre range. The ‘inner bands reached as far south as Bacolod which suffered much serious damage and casualties. Across the straights Iloilo City Proper also felt the wrath of her 175 kilometre winds. Moving ever westward in the north she mercilessly hit Capiz, Roxas City, Kalibo, Caticlan, the jumping off point for the tourist mecca of Boracay Island leaving massive destruction in her wake. A little farther to the south places in Iloilo province like Ajuy, Lemery the Barotacs, Dingle, Duenas, Passi City, Lambunao, Calinog and Janiuay all suffered serious damage.
Part 3 of our story of Typhoon Yolanda will be presented tomorrow.
(0)Dislikes(0)
