Out of respect for a request from CJM via email, we're charging up the defibrillator and administering CPR to this near-flat-lining blog of ours to bring a post-typhoon update.
Since it approached from the top of the island and swung around it's gusty arm in a clockwise pattern, Sinlaku was able to bury Taiwan in horizontal rain for two days on both coasts. Taichung County suffered a bridge near-collapse outside of Fongyuan involving the disappearance of at least one motorist and a bicyclist. There's a big stink over the handling of bridge repair, which the county knew the bridge needed before the storm and the consequent accident, though it remains to be seen whether heads will roll. In extremely local news, a storefront 100ft down the road lost a 15-foot steel ad frame when the whole thing snapped at the base and hung listing into the street, one half still attached to the top of the building. A work crew came the next morning to finish the job with whatever the equivalent is here for the Jaws of Life. Meanwhile, the rest of the island was flooded, wind-blown and otherwise mangled in a similar manner.
Emerging from HQ after a two day downpour, we're stretching our legs and re-planning our schedules as we pray that Sinlaku is the last big storm of the season for Taiwan.
I appreciate the update. Since I don't have an Internet connection at home, I had everyone checking to make sure you made it through okay.
The last word I had on Friday was that it was expected to be a cat 4 typhoon by the time it reached Taiwan. Deb and Amanda let me know it wasn't that bad, but it sounds like it was bad enough!
Posted by: CJM | September 17, 2008 at 08:13 AM
Welcome back! I've missed your reports from far away.
Glad you did not personally suffer damage from the typhoon. I love that word, by the way. Sounds like a GIANT sneeze.
Posted by: Mary | September 19, 2008 at 09:28 AM