Typhoon Muifa 12

DMac 5D Mark II posted a photo:

A woman seen through a damaged apartment window carries debris to the garbage the day after the storm.



NATURE'S POWER


"I awoke to the faint sounds of wind and rain lightly pattering against my bedroom window. I was surprised as Typhoon Muifa was expected to arrive soon. Little did I know it was just the calm before the storm...


As if on queue, loudspeakers began to blare all around my apartment complex, announcing the imminent arrival of the typhoon. Within minutes powerful gusts of wind reaching speeds of more than 100 km/hr and heavy torrents of rain battered my windows relentlessly. I made some breakfast, sat down on my sofa and opened my computer. I was ready to wait out the storm until it had passed.


Over the next hour the winds gained strength. My windows shook violently until, suddenly, there was a loud crash as all the windows on my veranda shattered, throwing shards of glass across my room. When the winds had died down a few minutes later, I went to my veranda to inspect the damage. The floor was flooded and there was broken glass everywhere, the window frames now bent husks...


The eye of the storm passed over Jeju at about 3pm. I waited for another hour just to make sure it was safe and then I made my way to my car, intent on documenting the impact of the storm. Signs of the storm's wrath were everywhere: a collapsed sign on a sidewalk near Ora stadium, a mass of debris piled up around the entrance of a corner store near City Hall, a broken tree branch blocking traffic near Yongduam.


I arrived at Tapdong at about 7 pm. Huge waves rolled across the ocean and crashed into the sea wall behind E-Mart. A solitary couple walked dangerously along the adjacent boardwalk as sheets of rain poured down. I rushed out of my car and as I ran towards them to snap a picture, strong winds ripped my baseball hat off my head and it flew into the sea...


I entered the airport an hour later and was met by a scene of total chaos. As all flights had been delayed or cancelled, hundreds of people milled about the departures area or crowded into the shops, madly buying up all the snacks they could find, while others rested on flattened cardboard boxes on the floor, glum looks of exhaustion on their faces. An older man was arguing with a young airline representative about his flight to the mainland. There was no chance he would fly home tonight.


As I drove back to my apartment, the winds picked up speed again. Typhoon Miura was not yet ready to release its grip on the island. This was going to be a long night..."



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