So, this story has been making its rounds but I guess I’ll fill you in on the rest of it from my end. Specific details of the night (when/if I fell asleep before the wrath of Mother Nature came beating down on us, for example) may be a bit jumbled but the general jist of the night is clear. Around maybe 11, things started to heat up. Jen and I were both in rooms facing the water (away from the mountain) and you may have seen pictures of the sunrise from my room – we’re pretty exposed. Our windows are incredibly thin (you can hear people talking outside, 4 stories below) and were rattling like crazy in their frames (I’m hoping Ernie and Bert found some cover). On top of that, they are not very secure in their frames; the rain was coming in without much difficulty as was the wind (my curtains were blowing into the room when the window was closed). As such, we were trying to steer clear in case the glass shattered. The hallway seemed the safest place to be as there were no windows. Apple came up shortly after loud bands started resonated through the building (which I’m assuming now was mechanical equipment and awnings blowing off the building). She was pretty afraid and apologized for telling us that we wouldn’t have much to worry about. She had never experienced a typhoon of this size that she remembers.
At one point I looked up and saw a tree branch scoot across the hallway and we realized that a window had blown in the common room on our floor. To get to the common room, you have to pass the stairway which is all windows. We kept covering ourselves and running. Apple was the bravest of the bunch and unplugged electronics that were already getting drenched by the incoming water.
Jen and I moved to two empty rooms on the back of the building as it was a tad more sheltered. This meant sleeping without a mattress and A/C but it was an improvement!
We luckily maintained power (even though over 2 million in the country lost it) and it made the storm more bearable. We may have slept an hour or so (Jen and I). The storm didn’t let up until well into daylight hours. We were not able to safely venture out until around suppertime.
When we did venture out, we were able to assess the damage to the campus. It was WAY more than I expected. From our dorm we could see mangled trees and lampposts, strewn awnings, flooding on the roof of the main building and the fence around the basketball court that fell. The campus is beautiful and vast and is full of old trees, fruit trees, palm trees, flowering trees, shrubs and more. We spent a whole morning wandering around when we first got here. Sadly, many of these trees fell (dozens) and more were mangled. The big trees and branches often blocked main roadways (on one road, we saw over 4 big trees blocking the way). Two athletic facilities across the street from the school (a tennis facility and a pool) lost their roofs. Our main building (the beautiful one that looks like a temple with an orange roof) was the most heart-breaking of the damage. The outcropping ceiling made of hand-painted tiles had been ripped apart and the main doors had been blown in. This led to wind and rain damage in the building and several art pieces and fixtures were destroyed. Much of the mechanical and electrical equipment on the roof had been blown down as well including the A/C units and water tanks.
The principal had ask that teachers come in on Sunday to work. I was told that it didn’t include me but I, and several members of other teachers families, gave a hand. Men were cutting and hauling trees away and the women were mainly responsible for smaller parts of trees, glass, etc. I ended up getting a pretty decent blister from trying to push piles of wet leaves with brooms made out of twigs tied together. The morning portion of the clean up was followed by boxed lunches that the principal ordered for everyone. It was then announced that there would be no classes until Tuesday afternoon. Monday would give time to get bigger things done and out of the way and M&E work to get done. Tuesday morning students were to help clean classrooms.
The article in the Herald is factual in many ways but, of course takes a slant. I wish she focused less on me and more on how the community came together; it was pretty neat and they LOVED that I was there with them! Whenever someone found fruit blown over by the storm, they passed it around. Everyone worked in a group and it became a social event in ways. Only the principal, who said she remembers some damage after a typhoon 25 years prior, could remember anything to compare this event to. Wild, eh?
At one point I looked up and saw a tree branch scoot across the hallway and we realized that a window had blown in the common room on our floor. To get to the common room, you have to pass the stairway which is all windows. We kept covering ourselves and running. Apple was the bravest of the bunch and unplugged electronics that were already getting drenched by the incoming water.
Jen and I moved to two empty rooms on the back of the building as it was a tad more sheltered. This meant sleeping without a mattress and A/C but it was an improvement!
We luckily maintained power (even though over 2 million in the country lost it) and it made the storm more bearable. We may have slept an hour or so (Jen and I). The storm didn’t let up until well into daylight hours. We were not able to safely venture out until around suppertime.
When we did venture out, we were able to assess the damage to the campus. It was WAY more than I expected. From our dorm we could see mangled trees and lampposts, strewn awnings, flooding on the roof of the main building and the fence around the basketball court that fell. The campus is beautiful and vast and is full of old trees, fruit trees, palm trees, flowering trees, shrubs and more. We spent a whole morning wandering around when we first got here. Sadly, many of these trees fell (dozens) and more were mangled. The big trees and branches often blocked main roadways (on one road, we saw over 4 big trees blocking the way). Two athletic facilities across the street from the school (a tennis facility and a pool) lost their roofs. Our main building (the beautiful one that looks like a temple with an orange roof) was the most heart-breaking of the damage. The outcropping ceiling made of hand-painted tiles had been ripped apart and the main doors had been blown in. This led to wind and rain damage in the building and several art pieces and fixtures were destroyed. Much of the mechanical and electrical equipment on the roof had been blown down as well including the A/C units and water tanks.
The principal had ask that teachers come in on Sunday to work. I was told that it didn’t include me but I, and several members of other teachers families, gave a hand. Men were cutting and hauling trees away and the women were mainly responsible for smaller parts of trees, glass, etc. I ended up getting a pretty decent blister from trying to push piles of wet leaves with brooms made out of twigs tied together. The morning portion of the clean up was followed by boxed lunches that the principal ordered for everyone. It was then announced that there would be no classes until Tuesday afternoon. Monday would give time to get bigger things done and out of the way and M&E work to get done. Tuesday morning students were to help clean classrooms.
The article in the Herald is factual in many ways but, of course takes a slant. I wish she focused less on me and more on how the community came together; it was pretty neat and they LOVED that I was there with them! Whenever someone found fruit blown over by the storm, they passed it around. Everyone worked in a group and it became a social event in ways. Only the principal, who said she remembers some damage after a typhoon 25 years prior, could remember anything to compare this event to. Wild, eh?