Just a quick note before I go to bed: we survived Typhoon Glenda/ Rammasun (or Ramassun). It slammed Manila after midnight and we lost power in our area at 4:30AM. I was still awake and heard one of the transformers explode. Approximately 75% of Mega Manila had a blackout. We got ours back just an hour ago at 10:30PM; I still don’t know how much damage has been done to our city and the rest of the country. I did not have a stable mobile phone service (I had to search for spots outside where I could send and receive messages), no 3G connection, and no landline. The flood subsided at around 8AM. I went out at 11AM to check our water meter. Some of the pipes in our compound were damaged and water was leaking out. The streets were covered in branches and leaves, mixed in with garbage, metal sheets and wood. We found a strip of metal from our gate about 15 meters outside of our driveway.
I am grateful that we reached the end of the storm unscathed. From brief phone conversations and text messages I found out that my brother had leaks in his apartment—which he said was his own version of a storm surge— and that my parents’ garden was turned upsidedown. At home, I was scared and my cats were stressed out by the horrible howling wind, but we were all okay. Shaken but safe, warm, and whole. I am extremely grateful for that. Like I said, I still don’t know how the rest of the city and the Philippines fared. I hope no lives were lost.
I’m off now to read the news. Hopefully they are all good.
