{Typhoon BOLAVEN}

Growing up most of my life in Oklahoma i was able to experience awesome thunderstorms. We often had to take cover when we heard the tornado alarms. They were the best. The cloud formations were always cool too. Since moving from Oklahoma i have had YET to experience a good thunderstorm comparable to the ones i experienced there. UNTIL NOW. :)

We knew about five days before Typhoon Bolaven hit that it was a possibility it would hit nearby.  The things is, with all the typhoons that happen around here they never seem to directly hit this island. We are a small tiny spot in this big Pacific Ocean. Most of the time it will show that it is doing to hit us, and then as the days get closer the typhoon changes direction and just misses us.

So, when we heard about this one we weren't holding our breath.  We saw it was a category 4 typhoon. At first it was going to head south of the island, not directly hitting us. And each day it got closer the typhoon kept moving closer to directly hitting our island. Before we knew it it seemed inevitable it was going to directly hit us.

Saturday was our last day to play before it hit. So we did.  Saturday night we were outside and the winds started really kicking in. And i believe that night is when we went into TCCOR-1C(caution).  Basically that means you shouldn't leave your house unless you have to.

Sunday morning we had crazy winds.  It seemed to gradually get worse, and then it would soften a little, and then pick up again. It was kind of bipolar. I remember people saying they were disappointed in the typhoon. BUT it hadn't HIT yet. As evening approached we went into TCCOR-1E(emergency). it seems like it was right after it got dark, it REALLY started picking up wildly! It started getting louder, and then louder. It seems like by 9 or 10 p.m. it was INSANE. The eye was only about 7 miles north of us.

The winds were unlike ANYTHING i have ever experienced before.  The power involved in a typhoon is unreal.  I think we had winds up to 112 with GUSTS up to 150mph.  The gusts were intense.  Our whole house was rumbling. When i say rumbling, i don't mean shaking or anything. I am just talking about the sound.  It was loud rumbling, howling, whistling, etc. There were so many times where i felt like i was in the middle of a tornado, as if a tornado just kept circling us, for hours. The rain was raining horizontal, there was nothing vertical about it.

The wind gusts were the scariest. The power of it is impossible to put into words. You can't understand it unless you experienced it.  I couldn't sleep that night.  I slept maybe a couple of hours.

The next morning was a different crazy wild.  The backside of it was crazy.  The wind by this point had switched completely opposite direction from the direction when it hit us.  At this point we are literally getting DUMPED on by rain.  And when the winds picked up, along with the huge amount of rain that was falling, it was like a complete white out. It was incredible.  The backside was crazier than the front side.

Our homes are square concrete homes. We have shatter proof windows. That's the way everything is built in Okinawa. They built it to withstand typhoon power.  THANK GOODNESS.  If Florida were to get hit by this typhoon, that place would have been obliterated. It would be destroyed.  There really wasn't any damage to any homes here. There were just branches and trees all over the place. We were built to be ready for this. I am so grateful for that.

Then when we finally were able to leave our homes last night, we really couldn't because it was pouring rain like crazy, and the winds were still a bit wild too.  Suddenly lightning starts. Then we find out we are in a tornado watch. That was a slim chance though.

I still keep thinking about the power i saw in that storm and still can't believe it. It's like it wasn't real.  I realize that we will probably never experience something that powerful again in our lifetime.  AND i also realized that was the coolest thing i have ever experienced in my life. hands down. It was WILD.
If i could compare it to anything, i would compare it to being caught in a tornado for hours. The sounds i experienced are the most creepy and most amazing and powerful thing i have ever heard. Really, i can't get over it. AND i really can't put into good enough words exactly what it was like, and what i saw and what i heard. Just that there is nothing like it.

I am grateful we were safe in our typhoon ready homes, and grateful we didn't lose power when so many thousands on the island did. WHAT A RIDE!!!