Ping
So those Palauans who said the storm would turn away were right.
Prayer answered!
They better get that monster croc (Lolong) into an escape proof enclosure before the typhoon hits.
They sure as hell don’t need his giant ass wandering around eating dead bodies. He was bad enough when wild.
MANILA, Philippines - The island nation of Palau “narrowly escaped” the wrath of typhoon Pablo (Bopha), reports said Monday, December 3, after it changed course at the last minute.
Earlier forecasts saw the typhoon making landfall on the island, but it changed its path a bit as it neared the area.
“It was headed right towards Palau and at the last minute it turned to the west and fortunately went south of [the islands],” Derek Williams of the US National Weather Service in Guam said, speaking in an interview with Radio Australia.
Wind gusts of up to 70 mi/h (112 km/h) were recorded in the capital city of Koror, he said.
Williams said the speed of the typhoon “prevented a lot of flooding” on the island, but it still did considerable damage to the area.
Trees were down, and power outages are reported to be widespread on the island. The extent of the damage on the island will still be known in the next few hours.
He added that the typhoon is still considered a “pretty powerful typhoon” once it hits Mindanao in 24 hours.
Palau is usually not along the path of typhoons, Radio Australia noted.
I called my friends in Kapalong, Mindanao, 3 hours north of Davao City. They survived, but their home has water up to the roof. They put their TV, refrigerator, and bedding in plastic bags, and walked 10 minutes to higher ground, but at least they are OK.