The house seems eerily quiet now
that rain has stopped pounding on our skylight, and the winds of the Super-Typhoon
Hagibis ceased testing our home’s foundations. My wife and daughter have gone
to bed. Both were physically and mentally exhausted after preparing for the
worst and waiting out the storm.
Our family made preparations as
the storm moved directly towards Tokyo. We stocked our fridge with food and drinking
water and filled the bathtub and storage containers with extra water.
(Sometimes water supplies are cut off or are contaminated.) We bought
additional batteries, refilled first aid kits, and topped-up the car’s gasoline
tank.
There were the usual runs on the
food markets, convenience stores, and gasoline stations leading up to the
storm, and while the typhoon mounted in intensity.
We monitored NHK weather reports
as the television broadcast the storm's progress and warned of floods and landslides.
Super-Typhoon Hagibis brought winds estimated as high as 160 miles per hour and
excessive precipitation.
Rain splashed down for
twelve-hours and measured as much as seven inches in some areas. The deluge created
a real threat of flooding by the Tama River, which separates Tokyo from
Kawasaki. Its banks are a mere block from our home, and floodwaters could reach
our back-door in minutes when the river overflowed. The Tama River’s capacity reached dangerous
levels well before the rains stopped.
Alarms sounded accompanied by
notifications on our cell phones seemingly every half hour. They announced
areas in Eastern Japan subject to mandatory and suggested evacuations.
When our Regional Government designated
our community at a high risk of flooding, we stayed in place. This decision
wasn't cavalier nor arrogant.
We didn't want to get caught in a
traffic jam and possibly be stranded as floodwaters surrounded the vehicle. The
angry winds made travel by foot dangerous, and the higher ground was a few
miles away. It would be a severe hike in the pouring rain.
My family elected to ride out the
storm and potential flood on the upper floors of our home. We moved valuable
items and essential devices to the top floor of the house. Our cat's litter box
was relocated to the second floor. (One way or another, Oliver was going with
us.)
We moved all the supplies to our
home's highest point, and it became a waiting game. The concept was not without
excitement. Amid the bombardment by wind and rain from the typhoon, a 4.5
earthquake hit Chiba and decimated homes in some parts of the city. We also saw
footage of dwellings destroyed by Tornados in the same region. (God has a strange sense of humor.)
Hagibis, which means “velocity”
in the Tagalog language of the Philippines, has moved north. While enjoying the
silence, I’m feeling grateful. We didn't suffer power outages or find our water
cut off, unlike less fortunate people living in the path of the Super-Typhoon
number 19. Lives and property were lost in communities around us.
Indeed, my family was stressed,
inconvenienced, and experienced a lesson in humility; but we did not suffer. We
dodged a bullet, and we will finish the weekend in a somewhat typical fashion.
It will start by moving things back to their original places on our first floor
that remains dry and safe.
Tomorrow will be sunny and hot in
Kawasaki, with temperatures projected as high as 29 degrees Celsius. It will
also be Thanksgiving in our native country of Canada, and there's something
especially gratifying about the timing of this holiday.
So glad to hear you are safe. Thinking of those who were less fortunate! Robin & Alex
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