So like I hear typhoon season is somewhere from June to November. It seems to be a common thing happening a lot in PH. Right now Typhoon Fengshen, Typhoon Frank, etc. My question is, for foreigners who want to relocate or have long periods of stay in this country, should we avoid coming at all in the bad weather season? Or if living there already should we leave until it is over? They make it look so horrible on the news like they did with Katrina in the US. If anything I would like to get peoples opinions. Maybe what to do or where to go in these types of events. What parts of Luzon would be the best place be to live in order to avoid the most damage. It scares me to settle down in asia when there are such bad weather disasters. What happens when youve settled in a house and filled it with all your belongings and they get destroyed? Insurance? What do you guys think?
Hi Anonymous, Dumaguete lies below the typhoon belt so even if there are typhoons in the Philippines, Dumaguete may have occasional strong winds and rain, sometimes some minor flooding in some areas but no serious destruction unlike in some other places like Luzon, Samar, and Leyte. The only "serious" storms i've experienced in Dumaguete was witnessing banana trees fall! Of course the climate of the world is changing and we can not predict if sometime, our usual weather might become worse.
First thing to keep in mind is how the media reports events. The goal is to make it as interesting and exciting as possible. In the case of storms, the more wreckage you can put on the TV screen the better. Have you ever wondered why they don't show the people and homes that survived the storm with little incident? Wouldn't it be helpful to know what those people did right? Typhoons have been part of life in the Philippines for centuries. The people that suffer and/or die are always the extreme poor that live in flood/slide prone areas in shanties. If you want to know how to survive a typhoon talk to the long-time residents. They will tell you about protecting the windows, turning off the electricity, having a concrete house, having water and food stored, and how to have fun in the dark.
Sensationalism sells! I have been through huge typhoons in the South Pacific; 220 mph super typhoons. The typhoons here in the Philippines are mostly Bananna typhoons. In other words, the winds can blow down bananna trees but that is about it. Timn8ter is correct. The poor are usually the people that suffer because of where they are living and what they are living in. Sad but true.
We've had two hurricanes recently here in the US. I'm always fascinated how the media portrays people living on the Gulf of Mexico as being unprepared even though they live in "hurricane alley". Buildings obviously not designed to withstand hurricane force winds are paraded across the TV screen as examples of the power of the storm. I have an uncle that lived on the gulf for 50 years, survived nearly that many storms, yet never had his home flooded or destroyed. In addition to the sensationalism are the people shown that are quite clueless about tropical storms. It's one thing if you don't have the means to prepare yourself but these people displayed on the screen are just being ignorant. If you live in a hurricane prone area why would you choose a wooden stick frame, ground level, California ranch style house to live in? If you rely on public power why would you be surprised when the power goes out? Why wouldn't you have water stored? A similar event occurs here in the northwest corner of the US. People live in flimsy houses in flood zones, often within sight of a river, then when the heavy rains come seem surprised their home becomes flooded. The unprepared in the US also seem to cry out for the government (FEMA) to rescue them from their stupidity. I guess that's what happens after so many years in a "nanny state".
Good points Timn8ter, on Guam, a person basically has to build a concrete house with a concrete roof or they will not get a loan from a bank. We were well prepared for typhoons. Like the boy scout motto, 'be prepared!' We are still prepared here in the Philippines even though the typhoons are not as big or Super typhoon size.
I was listening to a guy from norway talking about such storms stating we have worst seas back in norway but nothing mentioned about it much. I slept throught the hurican that hit kent in UK 15 years or so go, my roof was being retiled and had been securely covered in plastic sheeting. My wooden garden fences where blown away and a trees had fallen over onto neighbors houses. smashing through walls and windows Felt lucky to get a good sleep and not having much damage
