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Published: November 9th 2013
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Wunderground Satellite Tracking
Typhoon Haiyan heading to Vietnam Bunkered down in my room in Hoi An waiting for the Super Typhoon Haiyan to hit our beautiful little town of Hoi An is an eerie and somewhat scary feeling, definitely the "calm before the storm". I can't help but feel lucky though as I am sure I will be ok and of course there are so many who will not be ok at all...
I have what supplies I think I need, candles and matches for when the power goes out, some basic food items but if the power goes out I have just realized that I can't boil the water for my 2 minute noodles. I have never eaten them dry but there is always a first for everything. (a very small problem in the scheme of things though) I also have a few videos in hope that the power doesn't go out and I can catch up on a few movies. The likelihood of us having power is extremely remote but I am always the optimist...
Today has been a flurry of activity, we have completely packed up the Lifestart Foundation Workshop and secured everything under thick plastic tarps as best we could, our free school and rehabilitation center were packed up and locked securely yesterday. If you know Hoi An, Bach Dang Street has been under water for a couple of days, so the river is very high already.
The government have also told us in addition to the Typhoon that we should expect a flood too as they have had to open the dams which were at capacity and are at risk of breaking!
Everyone in the street is so busy, filling sand bags to secure their roof, cutting branches and trees in the street and in private homes, tying down rooves and putting everything that moves indoors. We have tied and secured the doors and windows and given them a lining of thick plastic for good measure. I live next to a sand and cement shop and there is a long line up for sand bags. My landlord and his wife have just popped into my room to further secure my windows and doors with a second lot of super thick wire....now I am starting to worry! My little room feels a bit " prison like" but the security measures are providing a slight sense of comfort and confidence.
You can feel the fear of the unknown in the air. These days with technology as it is we are able to track the Typhoon and of course we have all seen what terrible destruction has happened in the Philippines.
All we can do is prepare as best as possible and then wait..... It's going to be a long night!
For those of you who have been to this part of the world you will appreciate the enormity when I tell you that the government has ordered that all beach resorts be evacuated and have advised us all to be indoors as of 2pm today even though Haiyan is not due to hit until tomorrow. We are told that the Typhoon is 600 kilometres wide!
I was here for the 2009 Typhoon but I am told that this will be worse. Once your power goes off and your batteries die, there is very much a feeling of isolation as you can't get any information, via phone, internet or TV.
I can't provide you with any photos at the moment but just wanted to share with you a little of what it is like preparing for this type of event.
Here is the link to how we are tracking Haiyans progress towards us.
http://www.wunderground.com/wundermap/?lat=8.6&lon=132.8&zoom=6&rad=0&wxsn=0&svr=0&cams=0&sat=0&riv=0&mm=0&hur=1&hur.wr=0&hur.cod=1&hur.fx=1&hur.obs=1&fire=0&ft=0&sl=0 and here is a newspaper report that was helpful for us too
http://tuoitrenews.vn/society/14914/vietnam-bracing-for-most-powerful-storm-in-10-years If you are Lifestart Supporters and Sponsors please know that in the coming weeks we will need some help via donations to help people rebuild and repair their damaged homes.
I cannot imagine the thousands of people who live in bamboo and coconut leaf houses and the current feelings of fear and anxiety that they must be experiencing.
Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers over the next couple of days and if we get through this with only property damage and no loss of life then it will be a blessing.
Enjoying the blogs? Forward them along or subscribe those that you think would be interested in Lifestart Foundations work.......it's free! If you happen to be in Hoi An, Viet Nam, please visit us at:
LIFESTART FOUNDATION WORKSHOP
77 Phan Chau Trinh Street,
Hoi An
Vietnam
Just give us a couple of days to clean up after the Typhoon and the flood!
Lots of Love from Karen
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Sue
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Our prayers and thoughts are with you and your community, Karen. Praying everyone comes through unscathed and safe!