Typhoon damage

Looks like Typhoon Prapiroon is going to skip us.  Definitely glad that we won't have another typhoon but bummed that the weather this weekend is stormy and Foster Fest has been canceled.

I've heard that Super Typhoon Jelawat would have been rated a Catagory 3.  The Air Force weather center on Kadena measured gusts as strong as 115mph.  I'm not sure how strong Sanba would have rated but I've heard that Jelawat was worse.  Two big typhoons back to back has certainly taken it's toll on the island.

Thankfully, our house sustained very minor damage and our cars were untouched during both of the storms.  We weren't here for Sanba and we returned to find a missing barbecue cover and lid (Chris eventually found the cover but no luck on the lid).  During Jelawat, besides losing power for about 14 hours, some of the gutters were ripped off the house and shattered, a few wooden slats in the fencing were broken, and our shed now has a slight crumple to the roof.

The wide spread damage I'm seeing is the stripped branches and uprooted trees around the island. Workers quickly cleaned up the downed trees and piles of debris, but Okinawa is definitely looking bare.  In fact, it almost looks like a typical autumn scene with all the leaves gone.

The bougainvillea in our front yard

Before the typhoons in June

The field behind our house after Jelawat and Sanba

Before in July

Overlooking the same field, taken last October

The current view

We're used to seeing the island green and lush year round, so it's nice in a way to look outside and see a more familiar fall look (even if we can't wear long pants or scarves yet).