Snow, snow, snow... Oh, at last! I would have never believed them Texans had I not seen it with mine own two eyes.
It's official then... Austin indeed has a winter season :) Just a little bit more snow would be fun!
But not too much though ... don't want to resurrect the snow shovel from Boise, ID!
In our high school e-groups, one school mate said that she thought the Hurricane Categories in the US were the same as the Typhoon Signals back home in the Philippines. All the while, I thought so, too!
I remember those typhoon days when we were young...
- When the streets are not flooded, we would walk to school in our tsinelas (sandal thongs)
- When the streets are flooded, we would be using our water boots
- During the weekend or when school is suspended (Signal #3), we would go play in the rain. Our favorite is going under the gutter and "take a shower". Sometimes we end up being sick (fever).
... but I never remember needing to evacuate.
Anyhow, I did quick research and below is what I got:
US Hurricane Category, Wind Speed
1: 74-95 mph (119-153 kph)
2: 96-110 mph (154-177 kph)
3: 111-130 mph (178-209 kph)
4: 131-155 mph (210-249 kph)
5: >150 mph (>250 kph)
Philippine Storm Signal, Wind Speed
1: 30-60 kph (19-37 mph)
2: 60-100 kph (37-62 mph)
3: 100-185 kph (62-115 mph)
4: >185 kph (>115 mph)
That means the following:
- all US hurricanes are actually Signal 3+ typhoons
- Signal #1 and #2 typhoons are not considered hurricanes in the US.
So that's why perhaps I do not remember needing to evacuate because there really was no need then. Anyway, since Mt Pinatubo erupted in 1991 and the dikes built were the only protection of my hometown from the lahar, there may now be a need for evacuation during strong typhoons.
Anyway, there you have it, the hurricane-typhoon decoder.
The news since Thursday was full of Ike, the Category 2* Texas-sized hurricane. This is how it developed and what we did.
THURSDAY: Austin was in the path of Ike. We were sort of welcoming the rains Ike would bring since it has been dry and hot here for sometime. We were not worried because we knew that once Ike make landfall at the Texas coast, its fury would be lessened as it made its way inland to the north, towards Austin.
FRIDAY: Ike changes path. Austin is now in the fringes of Ike's path. Wind advisory of 25-35 mph with gusts up to 50 mph still were in effect. Since we planned to drive Ann to San Antonio Saturday to have her citizenship thumbmarking, we planned to bring the Gigi, the small car, and go through I-35 instead of the usual scenic 290-281 route.
SATURDAY: Not a drop of rain. No high winds. So we took the scenic 290-281 route. It was a bit cloudy earlier in the morning but when we were near San Antonio, the blue skies started showing. It was actually a very good day!
Ann's thumbprinting only took less than 5 minutes and we were done with our "official business".
Of course, a trip to San Antonio is now no longer complete without going to Mekeni Filipino Buffet restaurant. There were a lot of people when we arrived there at noon but we were seated immediately. As usual, the food was oh so delicious! By 1 pm though, there was already a wait. I saw some actually leave before they were seated - perhaps they could no longer wait.
We dropped by the San Marcos Factory Outlet Stores and we were surprised that there were plenty (as in the parking lot was full!) of people. I got a bit excited because I thought there was a big sale. I immediately learned that the people were coming from 2 places:
- evacuees from the east due to hurricane Ike
- Mexicans across the border since it was Mexico's Independence Day
Here in Austin, we got a couple of prayer requests for friends and family of churchmates who were going to be in Ike's path. We got our share of evacuees who attended church last Sunday, too, and the ones I talked to reported that their homes were okay.
In Houston, I heard from my high schoolmates that they were okay, too - power went out (and is still out for some), some boarded their windows, some neighbor's trees went down.
Meanwhile, there is a lot of devastation in the coastal towns of Texas. Galveston, known to be a tourist spot, was badly hit (and we have not even visited it yet!). It's sad that there were a lot of people who did not heed the call for evacuation.
If you'd like to help, this is Red Cross donation page.
OR... Use the orange button so I can feed your Reader!
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