Eric's Big Adventure - Part 7: In the Eye of the Storm

Typhoon "Milenyo" (international codename: Xangsane)


Wow, this is not what you want to wake up to and discover that its heading your way, but that's what happended to me on Thursday, the 27th.


I don't know if storms come together quicker here than at home, but I didn't hear anything about this storm until one of my drivers, Arnold, told me on the way home from the office Wednesday .


As we made our way from the hotel to the office you could tell the weather was picking up. The winds were becoming more intense and gusting. The poor guys who drive the tricycles had to deal with the wind AND the rain. When I entered the elevator of our building it was earie to hear the wind howling through the elevator shafts. You knew from the start this wasn't going to be an ordinary day at the office.


Surrounding the Accenture building is plenty of new construction, which is kind of scary when you consider all of the debris which tends to surround a construction site. Our team is located on the 10th floor of an 18 story building, which meant that we had a great view of the event. As the storm strengthened the debris started flying through the air. Debris was flying everywhere, billboards were ripped to shreds and trees were toppled. The temporary construction barriers came toppling down and the scraps of tin covering them went flying into the air.

At one point during the storm the winds were so strong that the entire building was swaying. Now if you are on a cruise ship swaying is ok, but in a tall office building it is a little unnerving.


Milenyo was the 13th typhoon to hit the Philippines this year, disaster officials said. For good local coverage of the storm here are some links to stories from the Philippine Star:

‘Milenyo’ shuts down Metro:
http://www.philstar.com/philstar/show_content.asp?article=277462

More days of darkness:
http://www.philstar.com/philstar/show_content.asp?article=277616

Government trains sights on giant billboards:
http://www.philstar.com/philstar/show_content.asp?article=277626

Tropical storms regularly hit the archipelago. Typhoon Milenyo, with winds of up to 130 kph (81 mph) and gusts of 160 kph, roared through Manila, ripping up lamp posts, roofs and billboards and bringing the city to a near standstill.


In the worst disaster in recent years, more than 5,000 people died in central Leyte Island in 1991 in floods triggered by a typhoon.

Next Blog: Sightseeing in Manila