# Big typhoon headed our way **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 12, 2007, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-typhoon-headed-our-way/411457 "2007-07-12T03:06:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Renee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/renee/32/287_2.png) [@Renee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Renee)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2007, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-typhoon-headed-our-way/411457/1 "2007-07-12T03:06:33Z")
So [this](http://www.weather.com/outlook/travel/businesstraveler/map/interactive/JAXX0067?from=36hour_map_large&zoom=5&interactiveMapLayer=sat) is supposed to hit us directly tomorrow. Mostly I’m worried about the power going out, leaving me without internet. What does that say about my internet addiction? Nothing good. Oh, and I worry about my tomato plant, which can’t be brought indoors. It appeared in my flower garden a few weeks ago all by itself, though, so maybe it’s all tough and resourceful. Wish the little green tomatoes luck! Anyway, all the outdoor stuff is put away and our house is made of concrete (and so are all the other houses around here, so no flying 2x4s to pierce the windows). My husband is on a plane to Korea, where the C-130s he works on are being taken to be out of harms way. This is my first big typhoon. Last year it was all hype and no action, but it looks like this one is going to be big. What’s weird is when you go outside all the Cicadas are absolutely screaming…tons of bug racket. I’ve never heard anything like it. I’m kind of excited. Big storm! ---
**Author:** ![Morgenstern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Morgenstern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgenstern)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2007, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-typhoon-headed-our-way/411457/2 "2007-07-12T03:20:01Z")
Good luck. (Candles, matches, portable radio, some pop tarts, bottled water, and a warm blanket.) Hope all goes well. ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2007, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-typhoon-headed-our-way/411457/3 "2007-07-12T03:55:59Z")
[Man-Yi Strengthens Into Category Four Storm, Heads Toward Japan](http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601101&sid=a_j4lRHMhB5g&refer=japan) > [@](#): > > Typhoon Man-Yi strengthened into a Category Four storm with maximum sustained winds of 212 kilometers per hour (132 miles an hour) in the Pacific Ocean as it headed for Okinawa in Japan, U.S. Navy forecasters said. [http://www.osei.noaa.gov/OSEIiod.html](http://www.osei.noaa.gov/OSEIiod.html) It sounds like path prediction is not so good on these storms: [Seoul, Tokyo Differ If Typhoon Will Hit Korea](http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/news/200707/200707120013.html) Well, Good Luck! Stay dry. ---
**Author:** ![Renee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/renee/32/287_2.png) [@Renee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Renee)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2007, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-typhoon-headed-our-way/411457/4 "2007-07-12T04:40:22Z")
**Morgenstern** , unfortunately, the last thing we need is warm blankets. If the a/c goes out I’m more likely to sweat to death than freeze :). We’re all stocked up on food and water (and beer) though. Thanks for the links, **Squink**. That second image is awesome. I wasn’t sold on the fact that Man-Yi was going to even hit the island until yesterday. Last year every other week they were telling us some storm was about the devastate everything (everyone! go grocery shopping right now!), and all we ever got was mild wind and a few splashes of rain. It looks like Okinawa is right in the path of this one, though. ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2007, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-typhoon-headed-our-way/411457/5 "2007-07-12T15:09:24Z")
Looks like it’ll [come is as a category 5:](http://www.estripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=47323) > [@](#): > > At 6 p.m. Thursday, Man-yi whirled 288 miles south-southeast of Okinawa, rumbling north-northwest at 15 mph, packing 144-mph sustained winds and 173-mph gusts at its center. > > Joint Typhoon Warning Center forecasts called for those numbers to increase to 155 and 190 into Thursday evening — equal to a Category 5 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2007, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-typhoon-headed-our-way/411457/6 "2007-07-12T17:03:23Z")
Nice job on the links and update, **Squink**. We’ll be thinking about you, **Renee** , wish you a quick and not too exciting experience getting through this and will eagerly anticipate your return stories, especially about the aerodynamicity of a green tomato. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2007, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-typhoon-headed-our-way/411457/7 "2007-07-12T21:11:42Z")
Cat 5 not good! Be safe, **Renee**. ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2007, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-typhoon-headed-our-way/411457/8 "2007-07-12T21:14:50Z")
Holy cow! Hunker down, **Renee**! ---
**Author:** ![Kythereia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e8c25b/32.png) [@Kythereia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kythereia)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2007, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-typhoon-headed-our-way/411457/9 "2007-07-13T01:16:04Z")
Be careful! Keep your head down until the storm is passed–and then let us know how you are, okay? ---
**Author:** ![Renee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/renee/32/287_2.png) [@Renee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Renee)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2007, 7:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-typhoon-headed-our-way/411457/10 "2007-07-13T07:50:43Z")
Power’s back on! We survived! It really was crazy last night, but no major damage. I got a bit spooked and slept in the guest bedroom–the master bedroom has a big sliding glass door that faces the ocean and I was afraid something might come through, waking me up rudely. And (!) my baby tomatoes are still there (a minor miracle–the rest of the plant and most of the garden looks like hell). The forecast calls for anther round of heavy wind and rain today, but the worst of it is past. Thanks for the well wishes everyone! ---
**Author:** ![yola](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/48db29/32.png) [@yola](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yola)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2007, 8:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-typhoon-headed-our-way/411457/11 "2007-07-13T08:01:32Z")
My mom used to say my room looked like a typhoon hit or was it a cyclone? Either way I’m glad you’re okay and your tomatoes made it and your power/internet is back on! ---
**Author:** ![Mosier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ea924/32.png) [@Mosier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mosier)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2007, 8:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-typhoon-headed-our-way/411457/12 "2007-07-13T08:19:05Z")
Is it a good idea to board up your windows? I live in an area that gets less than 5 inches of rainfall a year, so I’m a storm newbie. I’d think that vegetation and sand and hail getting tossed around might be a danger to the windows, though. ---
**Author:** ![fessie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c37758/32.png) [@fessie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fessie)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2007, 8:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-typhoon-headed-our-way/411457/13 "2007-07-13T08:43:17Z")
Glad you’re safe and sound! ---
**Author:** ![Renee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/renee/32/287_2.png) [@Renee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Renee)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2007, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-typhoon-headed-our-way/411457/14 "2007-07-13T17:26:46Z")
[QUOTE=Mosier] Is it a good idea to board up your windows? I live in an area that gets less than 5 inches of rainfall a year, so I’m a storm newbie. I’d think that vegetation and sand and hail getting tossed around might be a danger to the windows, though. [/QUOTE] I really don’t know. Some people here have storm shutters. Oddly, some people put masking tape on their windows in large X shapes right before storms (to contain potential glass shards?) I just close the curtains and hope for the best. Tape can be a bitch to get off of glass. To give you an idea, [this](http://www.flickr.com/photos/59239497@N00/196985035/) is the view from our lawn. So we’re pretty close to the water. But this house is about 6 years old now and has never had any broken windows or major damage even w/o storm shutters or boarding up windows. You can see the power lines in that picture, though. They don’t bury power lines here-- I was sort of worried about them coming loose and whipping around. But they didn’t (power poles here are made of concrete, btw–no wooden poles). Just so you kind of have an idea what we’re talking about here, [this](http://www.flickr.com/photos/59239497@N00/168405851/) is our house from the road (it’s an up/down duplex and we’re on the bottom floor). So it’s concrete, but also a lot of glass (eight exterior doors total in about 1000 sf.). All the glass you see on the bottom are sliding doors, and the on the right is our bedroom. These doors seal pretty tightly, and it’s obvious from the picture it would have to be be apocalyptic flooding before flood waters reached us, but even so with the wind we had about an inch of water on the floor in one area in the house this morning. I mopped it up and no more problems. Looking around today, many plants look damaged but most of them are still alive and in a couple of weeks I think everything will be back to normal. Tropical climate–things recover quickly. They’re building a house across the street from us and they left a garden hose on the roof yesterday. It’s still there today. I think maybe hoses and the like are too aerodynamic to be picked up by wind? We left our hose out, too, and no problems. We have a large pine tree about 15’ from our house and none of the major branches broke off, which surprised me. It was whipping around like crazy last night and really making me a little nervous. It’s amazing how much live wood can bend before it breaks. Any more typhoon related questions, let me know. The power has remained on, but I’m going to bed soon. We had a typhoon party tonight and I’m slightly drunk, so please excuse any poor grammar or spelling.