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Bubble Up Bears!Any T/T'rs out there living in the Philippines, China or Taiwan please let us know you are OK. Many are missing from Typhoon Morakot. Anyone effected in Japan by Typhoon Etau too. Please post and let us all know you are OK. If I have missed anyone I apologize and again please post.
Many of us are praying and sending well wishes your way. :pray:
Thank you,
Cyndee
TeenytinyteddybearsHi Cyndee, I am here 
Davao has just had flooding, we dont really get typhoons. I was in Manila when Joline and Kiko (Morakot) came through. Dino was in Catabato and his flight was canceled because of the weather and he sat there for a couple of extra days. Not a lot of fun because there is huge fighting there and they were only allowed to be in their hotel or office. I had in the meantime gone to Manila to meet him. But we got it together eventually. Manila itself wasn't too badly hit but the northern part of the island was. On Friday (last week) Dino had to go to Hong Kong from Manila and managed to get there and back before the worst of it.
The main internet under sea lines have been damaged and this is the first time in a few days I have been able to get online, so I don't know if you will hear from too many people for the next few days.
I was also in Manila at the time of the former president's death and ceremonies. I have never experienced anything like it. Literally 1000's of people lined up to pay their last respects, they stood in the heat for hours just for a few seconds next to her coffin. When they moved her body to the Cathedral they had to close off streets because of the amount of people. And her funeral procession on Wednesday should have taken an hour and it took 8 hours, to go 10 kilometers. Once again 1000's of people lined the streets and the four guards that stood by her coffin had to stand to attention for 8 hours on the back of a truck. Understand also that this was while Morakot was passing and there was so much rain and heavy wind. And still people stood. It was all a very humbling experience.
Bubble Up Bears!So good to hear you are OK. On our local news they are reporting hundreds missing. Not so many in Japan but in the Philippines and Taiwan, China.
I saw some of the funeral on TV. Boy to be there must have been something else!!
Again I'm glad you are OK. 
Thanks for posting.
Chaska, MinnesotaCyndee: I am so glad you asked. I lived in Taipei, Taiwan for three years when I was growing up (my dad was in the Navy and stationed there). I can tell you that we had many typhoons. On one occation, we had a big tree crash through the window into our living room. That was really scary. So it must be very hard for those living there right now. It was so sad to see that huge hotel falling into the water. I read they fear 400 people are missing...So in short, I hope our TT friends are o.k. too...
Bubble Up Bears!Wow Helen sounds very scary!! 
Yes I heard the same thing. Over 400 hundred missing. I'm getting a bit worried as you can see not many are letting us know they are OK. I'm not good at remembering their T/T names or I would look them up. I'm glad Carolynn is fine and I'm hoping the others are as well.
TeenytinyteddybearsCyndee, the internet connection to the Philippines seems to be fixed now, I am not sure about Japan, Taiwan etc. There was an under sea earthquake on Tuesday just off Japan that knocked out communication systems. Had been switched to satellite but was slow or non existent.
The area that was worst hit here was close to where I went to the rice terraces, so I can understand the devastation. What saddens me is that it is preventable to a large degree. I saw one house that had been washed away in a mud slide and there had only been moderate rain. And we were stuck behind a landslide. This was on the main road between towns and there has been no attempt to stop further slides. The road was just graded and cleared. Just below that was a cluster of homes. My soap box is in for repairs so not going to get too carried away, but for a place that experiences terrible weather so much could be done to prevent families being destroyed. I know you cant prevent tragedies in extreme cases, but it is common for homes to be completely flattened in even smaller storms. Ironically it was a Phillippino guy who invented a mesh made of coconut husk to lay over unstable banks.... I have never seen it used here.
Bubble Up Bears!That's really too bad Carolynn.
Is it for lack of money or because no one cares? Or both.
I would hope we could learn from our mistakes but even here some times it takes a catastrophe before action is taken. And then often it's too little. So many things. Red tape politics, difference of opinions, money and so on.
