It's international news - my embassy was totally flooded on Tuesday by Typhoon Pedring. Go to google maps and check out our location: landfill granted to the USgovernment by the emerging Philippines government in 1939 (or was it 1936? I'll have to check my cheat sheet at the office). The chancery building was completed in 1941, well before modern architecture practices.
On Tuesday we had a big surprise. In the past, typhoons dumped a lot of rain, and the fresh rain water deluge came at the embassy from the east, causing a mess, but nothing like this time. This time, the rain was comparatively minimal, but the winds were unexpectedly strong - right at high tide. I was driving into the office along Roxas Blvd, and it seemed the promenade and disappeared and the sea waves were washing onto the road. Traffic police started a detour a few blocks further inland.
I continued to drive, to try and get to work. After all, living only a mile away, I figured I would have the easiest time of it. And, if any visa applicants managed to make it in,they deserved to be interviewed, given the expense and trouble. So, I continued meandering through the red light district of Malate, learning more about the embassy's neighborhood than I had before ...
I was about two blocks from work when a text came saying the embassy was closed and anyone en route should go home. Not really enjoying driving in flooded streets, I was only too happy to comply with instructions. Thankfully, my friend Caroline was with me, so we had a nice chat while continuing turning this way and that to keep heading towards home, but also trying to avoid steers with deep flooding. We saw an open bakery and stopped for some pandesel (sweet yeast rolls) just in case we were stuck for a bit.
When I got home, I had a text from a friend who left for work about 5 min before me that he was stuck! The bay had come over the wall and water was waist high in the embassy compound. Eventually, they figured out how to get a motor pool van close enough that people could wade though waist deep water to the shuttle home; most people, understandably , did not want to attempt to drive their cars out.
Some people lost shoes - either from the current or water damage - and a few people had some abrasions and rashes (from polluted water), but given recent news about attacks on our embassy in Kabul, this flood is no big deal. Still, With sudden storm surges, one worries about the worst ....
Life was back to normal at the consular office today. Not so much for other offices which sustained flood damage, but our brand new annex building held up for the storm.
I was amazed at the great job the city government did cleaning up the main streets. On my way in today, all the trash was cleared and dirt and paving stones were separated and piled on the side of the road. By the time I went home. The broken parts of the retaining wall had been sandbagged, and vendors were already out selling drinks and snacks along the promenade. Quick recovery, given that part of the city had been under 3 to 4 feet of water with who knows what washing in from the bay.
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