Typhoon Nesat

Well, Hong Kong finally got some rain in the form of Typhoon Nesat. Let me tell you, it has been brutal: I slipped and fell while running.

As any good North Carolinian knows, severe storms require precautionary measures. When we have a hurricane on the coast, we assess the danger well ahead of time and maneuver as prudence dictates. We stock up on batteries and non-perishables, check our first-aid kits, fill our bathtubs with water, and move into the safest room in the house to wait out the storm (unless we evacuate). Some of us may even board-up our windows depending on the situation.

Here in Hong Kong, with the exception of how far in advance people prepare, the same actions are usually taken in response to the presence of a typhoon. The major difference is that a typhoon seldom reaches even Category One status when compared to a hurricane.

If you look in the news you will see that Nesat has left a pretty devastating path through the Philippines, killing at least twenty and injuring many more. The amount of structural damage is estimated to be around USD 2.3 million. The thing to remember is that the average structural integrity of a building in the Philippines does not necessarily equate to that of a building in Hong Kong. That is to say, these skyscrapers are much more adept at taking a beating.

Oh, and what a beating they've had: 80 km/h winds! Do you know how harsh 80 km/h is? Less than 50 mph! I understand that in some areas winds almost got up to 75 mph which puts them at the low end of a C1 hurricane, but that was not the case for most of Hong Kong Island. For most of Hong Kong, winds barely even reached light gale force. Ah, and now the sun is peeking out from behind the clouds...

Nevertheless, our pessimistic flatmate (codename "Beanpole") decided to take matters in his own hands and set about making the apartment as safe as possible. He shut and taped-up all of the windows and has been listening to the live-stream about the typhoon all day (also sucking bandwidth). I took the liberty of undoing most of his handiwork when the humidity in the apartment became unbearable and took to enjoying the first real sight of extended rain that we have had so far.

I think it's hilarious. In North Carolina even the possibility of snow is cause for schools to shut down, and that's a laughable practice. To shut things down for rain, though? I know that there are potential landslide areas in some regions, but for the most part Hong Kong gets drizzles, not downpours. This "typhoon" has been no exception. The only semi-gale I encountered was when I was out running this morning. The best part? That's not even what made me fall! The city's poorly designed sidewalks with no traction basically had me hydroplaning on foot all morning; I'm better off just running in the street. Mind you, not like there's any traffic. One drop of rain and most people shut themselves up in doors until it all passes. What a joke.

Oh, there was one casualty that I should mention: our fun. We were planning on going to several discussions this evening but, due to the phobia of wind and water, everything has been closed down...despite alternating periods of sun and cloud. So, yeah, it has been a pretty boring day and being left with nothing to do hasn't exactly been fun. At least the temperature is down.

Trivia: Apparently "Nesat" is Cambodian for "Fisherman".