In the Eye of a Super Typhoon – a first hand account

Dec. 3, 2006,

I scheduled a trip to Bicol a week before for a meeting with our client not knowing that there's a typhoon brewing and headed towards Catanduanes. It's been a busy week for us with bid estimate preparations for 2 projects and last week was my only chance to visit the project in Bacacay. I checked the projected track of the typhoon Reming (international name: Durian) in the internet (www.maybagyo.com) and it was headed to the Quezon & Aurora provinces with probability of hitting Manila. There were still bus trips and I thought that it's still safe to travel to Bicol. My former teacher in the minor seminary, Fr. Jun Barquez, was also heading home with a worried look on his face knowing that Tiwi town was very near the path of the typhoon. He told me that the town mayor already called him up to request to make ready the church as an evacuation site.

The bus arrived in Tabaco City around 6:30am. Fr. Jun said he would just let the typhoon passed by at the convent of town's church. My brother Cris picked me up. The weather was still gloomy with light easterly winds. After breakfast at my parent's house in San Vicente, I texted my client that I would just let the typhoon passed by and we would proceed to the site. Cris would be taking me to the site and he would be going to his office (DAR in Legaspi) as they have visitors from Manila. News said landfall of the typhoon would be in Virac, Catanduanes at around 8 to 9am. It was already signal 4. The wind started getting strong at around 8:30am. It continuously grew stronger with gustiness that toppled trees and roof of houses nearby. The roof of my sister’s house at the back of my parent’s house started flying one by one. Marlon, my brother-in-law transferred to the big house carrying his two kids wet and cold. There were sheets of roof coming from the ricemill nearby. The wind suddenly died down at around 12noon. The sky brightened up and the rain stopped. I went around the compound and started taking pictures while putting back toppled bonsai pots strewn all over the ground. People started pulling back the tin sheets and some were nailing these back on their roofs. There were already people on the road and most of the electric poles were toppled down. I chanced upon my kumpadre Aldrin and he said their whole roof was blown away. I entered their house and saw things all wet & scattered around. A pot of rice was still hot on the stove. Their kitchen roof was totally gone including the roof framing.

When I went back home there was a whooshing sound coming from the southwest. Bong, my bro-in-law asked me if it’s the river that he was hearing. Suddenly, there was an upcoming strong wind with rain. It was just at this moment that I realized that the momentary lapse of about an hour was the eye of the typhoon passing by right above us. The wind this time was twice as furious with heavy rain. It was white out all around. Visibility was just about 5 meters. I could hardly see the houses of my brothers. The roof of the house was vibrating and water was being forced in like from a power washer. The tin sheets that were scattered in the other side during the first salvo of the wind were now going back to the front lawn. I was just hoping that the main roof would hold on. I could hear the flapping of the ridge roll coupled with the whistling sound of the tin sheets. The tailwind lasted for almost four hours. I got tired and was able to get a nap sitting on a chair. When I woke up before 6pm the wind had died down. The roof of the main house was still intact. The tall pine tree in the front yard was uprooted. Branches and trunks littered the whole compound. Trees still standing up had no leaves left. Cris’ house held its ground. His washing machine & bicycle were blown away meters from his house. The carport of the house of Pebs, my younger brother was totally gone. Jalousie windows were blown off the frames. My sister’s house roof at the back of the main house sustained heavy damage. She’s a nurse working now in Oman. It was his husband’s birthday last Fri, Dec. 01.

I was awakened by the barking of the dogs at 3am. Daniel, one of my brothers was checking around the compound for the damages. He couldn’t sleep in his in-laws house since it’s full of people who had taken shelter when their houses were gone. The house was only one left standing intact in the neighborhood. People were very early collecting whatever left of their belongings.

I borrowed my father’s motor bike and went to town hoping to find some means to contact my wife in Manila of whom I was sure was dead worried already. With electric poles toppled, cables were all over the road making it very difficult to navigate even on a motorbike. The destruction was just everywhere. Even the roll-up doors of shops were blown off. Gas pumps at refilling stations were toppled from the base. Glass fronts & alum./glass windows were wiped out. I passed by the minor seminary where all of us 5 siblings took our secondary education. The entire roof was blown off even the newly installed ones. The alum./glass windows of the chapel and study hall were also blown away. The rector showed me the newly repaired pergola totally collapsed and the back fence that just gave way to the battering of the tailwind.

When I got back home I was informed by one of our house helps that Daniel our brother had just been into an accident. He was on his way to town with his wife and 4-yr old daughter when his head caught up a cable lying across the street. He lost control and his bike tumbled over. They were immediately taken to the nearest hospital. We were all worried since there was no power and maybe no personnel at hospitals. We found him in a small hospital in town already being treated by a doctor who was my grade school classmate then. My mother, sister and brothe-in-law were also there to attend to them.

I told Cris I needed to check in Legaspi City if there would be bus trips or plane flights to Manila. We took off on our father’s motor bike since it would be impossible for his car to navigate the fallen trees and power lines along the way. The road about 3 kilometer before Legaspi was virtually wiped out. It was sand and boulders on where villages and houses used to be. We passed by a house being digged up by a group of men. A guy said that about 15 persons were trapped inside as one survivor managed to get out and look for help. Power poles were uprooted and strewn all over the road and we snaked our way under the power lines. Cris said these were just newly restored after Typhoon Milenyo. It took us about 2 hours to get to the city proper. Houses were still filled with muddy water. No flights yet until about a week as the control tower was damaged. No bus trips yet since the buses were submerged in flood waters. We were informed that no buses have yet arrived from Manila as roads are still impassable due to fallen lines and lahar flow. We proceeded to Daraga to get gas but there were lots of people lining up at the only gas station opened. We saw along the way the lahar flow in Daraga totally wiping out villages. There were just too many sand & boulders scattered everywhere. Houses and cars were buried in the hardened sand. The long line of buses and cargo trucks that came from the Visayas continued to pile up as the road is just being cleared up by a lone bulldozer.

I told Cris if I could get a ride to Naga I could get a bus ride from there. My backpack is still in Cris’ house. He said he’ll just send it to me when the bus trips returned. Not much stuff in there since I was supposed to leave for Manila on Thu night. After a late lunch in Camalig, Cris spotted a van turning around and it was heading back to Naga. I took the van and I was able to get in a bus ride for Manila in Naga about 4:30pm. Cris sadi he’ll just return to Legaspi and sleep over at his office. I was only able to get a cellphone signal in Gumaca, Quezon. I was able to get home at 1:30am. It took a while before I was able to sleep thinking of the many families left homeless and people who were buried or swept away to the sea.

It would take some time before the whole region could get back on its feet. I hope the government and politicians would get their acts together and unite to hasten the repairs and rehabilitation works.

Pictures & videos posted at http://www.photobucket.com/. Username: typhoonreming. Password: reming.

Julian C. Confesor

-------------------------------------------end-----------------------------------------------------------

CMG Duathlon 2 at Clark

Last Sept 10, 2006 I joined my 3rd duathlon race at Clark. It's organized by the Clark Multisports Group (CMG). The event was a 5K Run, 30K Bike, 5K Run inside Clark near the Duty Free grounds. I brought my family the day before and stayed at the newly opened Clark Hostel.

The run stage was a 2.5k loop going a little downhill first. The bike route was a 10k loop with an uphill section that would make you feel you're busted already.

Looking forward for the next race at White Rocks Triathlon where i would be in a relay team to do the 20K run stage.

it's been a very busy day today. Started the day very early. Brought Ninai to school at 6am and then Jan to his school at 7:30am with Vivs. Have to go back to the house since she forgot to bring along the homework of Jan. Was just a bit late at Jan's school in Katipunan.

First day

This is my first try & start of my own blog.