Typhoon Nuri

The typhoon signal 9 was raised yesterday afternoon, the first time that high of a signal has gone up in years, and was a result of Typhoon Nuri bearing down on Hong Kong. The winds were so strong, two trees were knocked over in front of my house, and numerous tree branches littered the sidewalks and roads. Items were blown all over the stairwells, and even our big, wooden, 6 person table that sits on the porch was blown over. A glass tabletop from the café was picked up and smashed against the wall. I was sitting in my apartment, listening to the wind, and was honestly scared my windows might shatter. The supermarkets and other businesses closed down and we were sent home and told to stay away from the windows until the typhoon passed.

Usually, when we get typhoon warnings, they are accompanied by heavy rains. The rains yesterday were not very bad, but the wind was incredible. It was all I could do to hold onto my umbrella as I walked home. And even as I descended a small hill to get to my building, a large tree branch was picked up by the wind and I momentarily thought it might hit me. In fact, one of the trees that came down did so across the path I had been walking on not 15 minutes before.

Never a dull moment. :)

This fallen tree is laying right where I had just been walking.

Another fallen tree