Typhoon Glenda (international name: Rammasun) passed over my home province in the Philippines. My family in Tanza experienced the strength of the typhoon. My mom was rather calm when she described how strong the gusts were (if I were there, I would have panicked because as a kid I used to get nightmares of being chased by a tornado). Power was knocked out for over 60 hours. In the 15 years we’ve had that house in Cavite, I don’t recall electricity for having gone out for that long.

So what else happened?

My brother would best describe Typhoon Glenda’s effect as written on his blog here. I am borrowing his photos (further below) to share.

I follow maybagyo.com during typhoon season. It’s like a go-to source for typhoons and other weather disturbances that hit the Philippines. He creates these detailed maps based on forecast models from across the region.

When I saw the typhoon would be passing just south of Metro Manila, I started to worry. A typhoon making its way just south of Manila would mean it would be passing over my nesting grounds of Laguna, Cavite and Batangas. I called my mom on the morning after Typhoon Glenda passed. I called her a few other times because we couldn’t Skype or send iMessages because of the power blackout.

My brother then sent me photos of our house in Cavite. Here is one photo of our yard:

The damages at our home in Cavite were minimal (I believe, but please do correct me Paul.). Our mango tree took a beating. I was worried the tree would fall over and destroy our wall.

However, across town, the damage was far worse at my mom’s ancestral house. The roof was blown to pieces. The entire upper floor looks wrecked. Reading about it was one thing. But seeing it in photos was heartbreaking. This was the house that my mom grew up in. I used to play with my cousins back in the 1990s on the upper floor. I remember my late grandparents.

Restoration is a different story because the relatives who live in the house don’t exactly have the means to have it repaired by themselves. My relatives who are in Spain and the United States are likely to pitch in.

I’m glad that nothing far more serious happened to my family and friends in the Philippines.

How did Typhoon Glenda affect you?