Typhoon Season

We live in what's called "typhoon alley". Typhoons, which as essentially hurricanes, pack powerful winds and can be very destructive. They occur when warm water of the South Pacific Ocean between the Republic of the Philippines and Guam combines with the cool winds in the region. Once formed, the storms usually travel in a path beginning near Guam, travel south and around Okinawa and then head north toward mainland Japan or Korea. Most weaken at sea before they reach inland. So there is a weather lesson for you today!

We were supposed to have one headed our way this last weekend, but it turned and hit Taiwan full force, you might have seen some pictures on the news. Everyone on the island had been in preparation mode for the possibility of a nasty storm. Here is a picture of the storm headed towards us. My dad added the caption before he sent it to me!

We still got some rain and serious wind! I have never seen wind like this. My neighbor's tree had branches falling all over the place and there was debris everywhere.

Typhoons are interesting, especially how large they are. For example, one hit this island a few months before we moved here. They took the size of it and compared it to the United States. It would have covered the ENTIRE Gulf of Mexico! Incredible! If these same storms would have hit the US, it would have been mass destruction. Thankfully, we live in homes literally made of concrete! We are definitely not going anywhere! Seriously, these homes have been around for at least 50 years, if not more. If you remember from an earlier post, my dad lived here when he was a kid (while my grandfather was stationed over here while in the Air Force), the house they lived in is still standing and someone still lives in it. That goes to show that buildings here can definitely weather a storm or two! Growing up in north Texas otherwise known as "tornado alley", it makes me wonder why more homes are not made out of material that can withstand high winds and storms. Hmmm...food for thought...
The weather sadly delayed John from coming home from the Philippines. He got to be home a whole 2 days before he headed out again to the next country! Gosh I love the Marine Corps!