Fujiwara Effect!

This shows how Typhoon Melor interacted with Typhoon Parma. Fujiwara effect
(kind of like "gravitational pull" between two planets) pulled Parma
back over Northern Philippines, and then after Melor moved out of
range, Parma headed back across the Philippines for a third round.

Satellite Video Loop

Sun's Out!

This is our second day of sunshine! We are so excited! No rain for almost 36 hours now! After almost 8 feet of precipitation in 8 days, we are fully water-logged and happy to finally start drying out. Stay tuned...I'll be posting some pictures later...

Communicating Again

We finally have internet now. We weathered the storm well, but Baguio City is cut off from the outside as all major roads are either blocked by landslides, or completely cut. Government is working to restore transportation. It has been difficult g...etting information from our churches as power has been out so cell-phones cannot be charged so news right now is limited about full extent of damage. Thanks for prayers.

Satellite Video Loop of Storm

Check out this 78-hour video loop of Typhoon Parma as it continues to dump trillions of gallons of water all over Northern Luzon. http://www.typhoon2000.ph/activeflash/stormloop.htm

Will it ever stop?

More than 4 days now of the same typhoon! Thanks to the interaction with Typhoon Melor, the Fujiwara Effect flung Parma right back at us again...now that Melor is smashing Japan, it looks like Parma will reverse it's course again and hit us a t...hird time. We are getting a little weary of the rain. We've already had more than a meter and some reports suggest another meter of rainfall before we're finished!

God's Protection

God redirected the storm, sparing the Philippines another catastrophe. This is about the strongest wind we had in Baguio...what a blessing! Also, notice how foggy it is...we are up about 5000ft so during the storm we were enveloped by the clouds.

Upon waking...

Woke up this morning...rain had stopped, but stronger wind gusts (23mph) now than during the height of the storm. News reports show some flooding, crops ruined, etc, but overall much less than expected. Had Parma come ashore at Category 4 it would ...have been quite bad. We praise God for His protection.

Tons of Rain!

The wind is starting to blow some, but the sheer volume of water coming down is quite amazing.



This is a view from up above our driveway as all the water joins the runoff already on the roadway.

I think it's finally here...

About 15 hours after we expected the storm to arrive, we are finally getting some strong rains...but as you can see, almost no winds yet.

Parma (Pepeng) Approaches the Philippines

Peace! Be Still!

Wow! God is clearly answering our prayers on behalf of the Philippines. Already in a state of calamity caused by extensive flooding, the thought of facing the devastation of a Super Typhoon further overwhelmed the nation. It seems God has "calmed the storm"...in the past few hours it has rapidly downgraded to a Category 2, veered to the north and sped it's forward progress which will result in less rain. Praise God!

A Quiet Night

We had a very quiet night...only a little bit of wind and rain through the night.

Ready for a Wild Night

Just in case their needed, the rain gear is standing ready and the spotlight is charged.

Here's Micah testing the rain boots:
We've learned that although our wireless router is in a protective box, the extreme humidity associated with days of rain eliminates the routers ability to transmit a signal, so for this storm I have "shrink-wrapped" it with heavy plastic, so hopefully we can stay connected throughout the storm.

Storm Intensity Dropping

The storm has weakened and slowed it's forward progress due to a high pressure front near Hong Kong. This may result in more rain (bad!) and less wind (good!). So far we have had periodic wind gusts, but nothing substantial to report at this time.

Satellite Video Loop of Typhoon Parma (Pepeng)

Check out this awesome video loop.

The Ultimate Natural-Disaster Rig

Gotta get me one of these! :)
The Aton Impulse Viking-2992 Advanced All Terrain Amphibious Vehicle. This extreme machine was built with it’s main purpose in mind – Flood Relief Operations. Just what we need in the Philippines! This gives response teams immediate access to flood water, without having to pull out rubber boats.

More stats:

• 3.5 ton Electrical Winch
• Adjustable Ride Height
• Centralized tire air pressure adjustment
• Power Steering
• Water Propulsion Unit with Floatation Unit (capable up to 15kph in water)
• Searching Headlight
• Fog Lights
• Front Axle Differential Lock
• Rear Axle Differential Lock
• Mechanical Inter-Axle Lock
• Rear Search Light
• Rear Parktronic with Rear-View Camera
• Motorola Radio
• Additional air compressor socket for inflating rubber boats

Storm strength dropping?

Possible good news! Predictions (such as they are) expect that the storm will downgrade to Cat 3 just before landfall on Saturday morning (24 hours from now). This would be a huge blessing for the coastal towns and villages as the winds and storm surge would be much less of a destructive factor.

"Calm" Before the Storm

I am experiencing that "apprehensive excitement", that adrenalin-charged "calm" (is there such a thing?) before the storm. We are in wait-and-see mode. Too early to board up the windows, but desiring to be prepared as possible. Two staff families living on campus necessitates ensuring their safety as well. In spite of the uncertainty of what tomorrow will bring, we are at peace because we KNOW that God is in control.

How Can I Pray?

Maybe your unsure of how to pray for the needs of people suffering "on the other side of the world". If this describes you, please follow this link for an accurate and thoughtful perspective about the real needs that our Filipino friends and neighbors have right now. This blog is written by our former teammates and dear friends and will enlighten you how to pray and be involved even if you are a world away from us at this time.

Our Location

In the next 12 hours we should know what path the storm will take...often they redirect before landfall and head in a more northerly direction. This will put the storm well north of our location when it makes landfall. However, if it shifts even a degree or two west at this stage we will be "sitting ducks" up here on the mountain.

Our buildings are very solid and have weathered many storms and I trust them more than I would any local "shelter". Our great concern is for the thousands of Filipinos who live in less sturdy homes perched on the edge of the steep mountainside.