A stormy visit

It's not the calm before the storm, it's the rain which announces the soon arrival of a typhoon.

After non-stop rain on Monday, typhoon "Pedring", with the international code name "Nesat", made landfall on the Eastern coast of Luzon yesterday. Although north-east of Metro Manila, Pedring made its presence felt in the Metro with incredible wind gusts, uprooting trees, and flooding homes and streets. Today, the sky is gray. Scattered rain showers mark Pedring's exit from the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR), lowering the Public Storm Warning Signal (PSWS) in Manila from yesterday's #2 to #1.

I did not learn about office suspension until I was already on my way to work... (I'm not discussing the effectiveness of late-night e-mail announcements or 8am text message to inform workers of office suspension...). Bravely, I was making my way to the walled city of Intramuros, home of my local office. At 7:45am, Roxas Boulevard was already impassible. I watched the water flow away from the bay, forcing its way "upstream" along Quirino Avenue. It was not until later that I learned Manila Bay's sea wall partially collapsed under the pounding waves! The US embassy, nestled right at the bay, as well as luxurious hotels such as the Sofitel flooded later on.

I thought it a smart move to detour to the Makati office. Sheltered at the 10th floor I watched Makati being devastated during the four hours of peak winds. The ceiling-to-floor windows uttered weird noises as the wind pounded them mercilessly.

Most parts of Metro Manila were (and still are) without electricity. Either because of broken power lines due to falling trees or due to safety reasons. Usually power companies disconnect flooded areas to avoid accidental electrocution.

After rain and storm come floods and landslides. It will take a while for Metro Manila to regain its normal face and pace.