Final update and please note the live stream is now down
As of 9.40pm we had full communications and electricity back online, this meant I was able to upload this video which is a combination of some of the better footage we got during the storm:
Update 6:04 PM Friday Evening (23rd October)
We finally got electricity back yesterday but the house remains without an Internet connection so I can't upload any video or images. There was quite a bit of damage in the area but not serious injury around us that I am aware of. Will update this page and the YouTube channel as soon as I'm able to get online properly.
Update 10:20 PM Sunday Evening (18th October)
We've been without electricity for most of the day so the stream has been down, I'll put it back up again shortly. No major damage to report however Signal #3 is now hoisted for the province.
Here is a video we shot earlier today:
Here is a video we shot earlier today:
Update 5:17 AM Sunday Morning (18th October)
We just had our first power cut, it only lasted a few minutes but I fear it is a harbinger of things to come. I've just put the live stream back up, sunrise is due in the next hour or so. The wind is getting up.
Update 4:25 AM Sunday Morning (18th October)
The wind is getting up to the stage that I am becoming concerned about the roof, we've already got some of the corrugated iron on the back terrace starting to lift up. Considering that the mainstay of the typhoon hasn't even hit us yet... well... here we go I guess.
Update 2:07 AM Sunday Morning (18th October)
Wind, and lots of it. Not as much precipitation as there was earlier in the night but the noise that the wind is making is crazy. We've moved all the animals inside the buildings on the property, I've just been out and dealt with anything that wasn't tied down. There are reports from the east coast of huge waves hitting the coasts of Isabella and Aurora. Also, Koppu/Lando has now been upgraded by the JWTC to a super typhoon.
As we didn't leave when we had the chance there's not much we can do but sit and wait now.
Update 11.41 PM Saturday night (17th October)
To coin a phrase, well that escalated quickly. We've gone from a bit of rain to some reasonably high winds. Considering the thing hasn't even made landfall on the opposite coast yet this does not bode well for a peaceful Sunday. All of our three dogs are well and truly spooked and are behaving very strangely. The goat is hiding under the BBQ.
I'm expecting the power to go off in the morning, par for the course in bad weather on this coast, and remain off for the day. I may be wrong. Anyway, everything is fully charged and I'll hopefully get an update in during the day as long as my 3g internet holds out.
Update 10:30 PM Saturday night (17th October)
It has now started raining. Both houses are battened down in preparation for what could be anywhere up to six feet of rain. We're hopeful it won't be quite that bad on this coast but we're preparing for the worst. We briefly considered leaving this afternoon but with the animals and everything else we'd both rather be here. The rain is not as heavy as I'm sure it's going to get.
You can't see much on the cam feed at the moment (on account of it being dark) sunrise in this area is usually between 5am and 5.30am local time.
Saturday morning
Latest updates on Typhoon Koppu/Lando:
Philippines Braces for Catastrophic Typhoon (Time)
Typhoon Koppu to Devastate the Philippines (The Vane)
Aquino tells North Luzon residents to prepare for evacuation (Rappler)
What are we actually expecting?
Living in the Philippines one gets used to natural disasters and Koppu/Lando is just one of 20 or more typhoons that will (or already has) hit the archipelago in 2015. The thing about most of those typhoons is that their stay in the Philippines is comparatively brief. Koppu is forecast to build up into the equivalent of a Category Four Hurrican, turn to the north and move slowly up the middle of North Luzon. What "they" are saying is that this means rain, and plenty of it. How much rain? In excess of 2 feet in the next three days. Yep - you read that right - upwards of 44 inches of rain in a very short period of time. If all this rain gets combined with a storm surge and a high tide we could be in for a bit of a rough time.
What's happening at the moment?
We still have electricity, it's a cool and overcast morning. There was no rain overnight. The last update said that we will start feeling things after lunch and into the evening. The webcam stream will remain live until either the power goes out or the weather stops being of interest.
The area is currently under a signal #2 warning.
The area is currently under a signal #2 warning.
