Pedring’s Howling Day

Yesterday we experienced Pedring’s wrath in the metro.  I was definitely clueless as to the power of this storm that the night before I even did an overtime at the office because there were 2 important meetings to attend to the following day and I have to get all our materials ready.   I left the office at 7.30 p.m. last Monday and the weather was so inviting for sleep that I was already in bed by 10 p.m.

At around 5.30 Tuesday morning I woke up to the strong and howling winds outside our bedroom window.   Our kitchen area (which is just beside the bedroom and is an open area) was totally drenched with rainfall and the kitchen towels are all over, blown by the strong, gusty winds.  Thankfully we have a big tarp to cover the open area and prevent the other kitchen items from flying also.

I went back to bed and soon received a text message from my officemate, asking if I’m still going to report to work.  I’ve decided already not to come to work that day because the strong winds and the big rains were scaring me  Then just before 8 in the morning, Malacanang announced that work in all government offices were suspended.   Thank God I chose not to go to work or it would have been a useless effort.

I went back to bed, thinking I’ve covered everything and to wait for AJ to come home from his night shift.    But our electricity was then cut off.

AJ was finally home a few minutes after 8, and while he was not totally wet from the rain, I could tell that the winds outside were really that strong because his clothes and his hair were in disarray hehe!

We stayed at home all day, AJ sleeping and me trying to do some activities in the semi darkness of our apartment.   The storm just got stronger and stronger, and come lunch Pedring’s wrath was still of the same intensity as it was  early in the morning.    As I was relying on the radio news from my parents’ house,  it was only later in the evening that I would see the devastation Pedring brought in Manila.

At around 5 in the afternoon the storm began to die down.    I finally folded up our tarp cover to see how the neighborhood was.  Everything looked normal to me, no beaten down trees or torn out roofs.   But the chicken wires covering the open area of our kitchen looked really beaten up.   Alas, only these rain droplets remain of Pedring:

The night finally set in and we still haven’t got electricity.   We used our citronella candles as emergency light [note to self: stock up on emergency candles and invest in LED lamps na!]

AJ woke up to get ready for his evening shift but before we had our early supper, we played some games.  He did some hand formations in the shadows and I was to guess what those were.

AJ’s Eagle.   I thought it was a duck flying.

A dog.  I got this one right hehe.

AJ’s third animal turned out to be a bunny but I wasn’t able to guess it correctly because he wasn’t doing it correctly, either.

Finally, after almost 13 hours of darkness, electricity was back.    I was able to catch up with the damage Pedring brought that day with the late night news.

The battered Baywalk Area at Manila Bay (photo from GMA News):

The U.S. Embassy (photo from Inquirer):

Roxas Boulevard (photo by Lea Bolante):

SM Mall of Asia (photo from Showbiznest):

Later, I would learn that the San Miguel Drive, where Vikings is located, was in total ruins (was affected by the typhoon, but no damaged, as earlier reported.  It’s now open!  Can’t wait to go back there again!)   That’s really sad because we love eating there  =(

I thought I’ve seen the worse in Ondoy last year, but Pedring showed us how it will be like if Manila is the target.

And it’s scary.