I was stuck at work yesterday when Milenyo made his grand entrance. The sound of the winds were rattling the office windows. My officemates and I could see the clouds racing through the sky. The power would fluctuate every 20 minutes. It was pretty scary. When I was finally able to get out of the office, I was shocked to see the usually orderly streets of Makati turn into a jungle. Pictures after the cut. Click pictures to enlarge and mouse over for descriptions.
The ticket booth on the opposite side of this parking lot toppled over and hit a car. I hope the driver and passengers weren’t harmed.
Upside down trees were a common sight. I was just glad to see there weren’t any people on the road. Those dang twigs and wires were a fire hazard. They were too dangerous to be cleaned up yesterday because of the rain. A lot of the roads in Makati were blocked by trees that once beautifully lined the roads.
One of the roads that lead to my office. The fallen greens turned the roads into a huge obtacle course. H and I kept shaking our heads as we navigated our way out of the city. I really hope and pray that nobody was hurt by these gigantic greens.
These were yesterday’s pictures. We couldn’t get out of Makati because of the flood and the heavy traffic, so we thought of booking a hotel room. No luck. All the hotels were fully booked. We ended up spending time at Power Plant Rockwell first, bought food (semi-panic buying), watched “Flyboys,” then went home. There was no electricity. Yesterday’s storm brought about an almost nationwide blackout.
This morning was much better. The roads were being cleared of fallen greens, yero, rocks and sadly, fallen billboards. The traffic was terrible. Oh well, at least the sun is shining now.
So this is where the sidewalk ends. Another fallen tree greeted me while walking to work. These were just some of Milenyo’s damage that I saw. EDSA had fallen billboards. Broken power lines and electricity poles could be found all over the city. There were reports of injuries and casualties both in the metro and provinces. Full electricity has yet to be restored.
Milenyo entered the country with a huge anger and left just as quickly, leaving behind painful remnants of his wrath. I hope all of you are safe and sound, and that your loved ones weren’t hurt. Be safe.
Hi! I'm Toni Tiu,
and I've been blogging at
at Wifely Steps since 2003. This started as a blog to help newly weds adjust to married life. It has evolved into a home and parenting blog. I write about things close to my heart -- good eats, good reads, family, marriage, and the little things that make everyday happy.
Tina
September 29, 2006 at 10:50 am (18 years ago)Our office wasn’t spared. Rain got in our office (since we were at the top floor) and our area got semi-flooded. :-s Robinson’s Galleria’s sunroof got blown away too, so Galleria closed early yesterday.
JMom
September 29, 2006 at 10:51 am (18 years ago)hi Toni! I’m glad to hear you and H survived the storm. Hope all is well. Take care always.
Paulo
September 29, 2006 at 12:41 pm (18 years ago)Wow! Never seen a typhoon wreck the greenery so badly before. Thanks for the photos, they’re amazing.
Meeyagirl
September 29, 2006 at 1:15 pm (18 years ago)hi toni, i’m glad youre ok. i hope the city of makati will clear all the debris agad so that everyone can get back to work safely and businesses can recoup. that bagyo was nasty!
Pat
September 29, 2006 at 2:18 pm (18 years ago)I am glad that the people I know are safe and sound, but I also feel bad that a lot of trees are down. I was just in UP a while ago and the streets were littered with fallen branches and uprooted trees.
jojo
September 29, 2006 at 3:45 pm (18 years ago)hi toni. glad to read you’re safe. been hearing and reading a lot of sad news, and shocking photos. couldn’t see yours yet due to flickr block here at work.
rowie
September 29, 2006 at 5:38 pm (18 years ago)nasty storm that was. i was going to say, “nice photos,” but “nice” doesn’t seem like an appropriate word. i’d heard from friends that makati really did look like a jungle, and after seeing those photos, i now undertand what people meant. may kuryente na ba kayo? kami wala pa.
Junnie
September 29, 2006 at 9:14 pm (18 years ago)your pics can be used by news mags and dailies…galing. glad everyone was ok and that the nasty typhoon left in a huff.
ingat palagi. stay dry this weekend!
sachiko
September 29, 2006 at 10:31 pm (18 years ago)saw the flickr pics too tons,thanks for these pics and news.
glad it’s over now..kawawa naman yung mga nasa shanties,esp.the children.
btw,i ordered the book by anne tyler.
Linnor
September 29, 2006 at 11:30 pm (18 years ago)Even in Cebu we were so worried about people in Luzon being affected by Milenyo… It was the strongest typhoon in 11 years to hit Metro Manila daw.
rach
September 29, 2006 at 11:51 pm (18 years ago)hi toni. i’m so glad you’re ok. it’s so sad that many people have been left homeless because of the super typhoon. i feel terribly sad for the injured and those who perished during the onslaught of the typhoon. i’m very thankful to God that my family is safe.
Leah
September 30, 2006 at 12:09 am (18 years ago)glad to know you’re ok. Grabe pala ang lakas ni Milenyo.
abby
September 30, 2006 at 12:23 am (18 years ago)wow that looked bad. tsk, tsk..
Emer
September 30, 2006 at 4:36 am (18 years ago)I’m glad you and H are fine. There’s another storm brewing next week. Ingat!
“Gigantic greens.” I like the way you call them.
Emer
September 30, 2006 at 4:38 am (18 years ago)Xangsane is a Laotian word meaning “elephant.” Aptly named, huh?
tanya
September 30, 2006 at 6:45 am (18 years ago)i was listening to the radio when that was happening.. my dad was texting me too…
crazy!!!!
I told Nick, “Now you know why most, if not, all of our houses are made of cement.”
Kay
September 30, 2006 at 6:57 am (18 years ago)We’re good. Didn’t get to go home though so I ended up staying at my Mom’s place. Good thing she had me picked up by the driver so I didn’t have to wade in the flood.
Via
September 30, 2006 at 8:28 am (18 years ago)hi Toni! We got stranded. The glass windows in Noel’s office shattered! So we hied off to Mandarin Hotel with one officemate each thinking we could check in there. Fully Booked!!! We called hotel after hotel and got lucky at Renaissance. (formerly New World) Grabe talaga! We both stayed in from work yesterday.
Jeanny
October 1, 2006 at 12:49 am (18 years ago)hI toni. glad your ok naman. I was so scared last thursday kaaa nde ako pumasok. And dilim dilim kc kahit 6am na at ang lakas pa ng hangin. Kaya I texted u…wanted to know din kc if ur ok if ever ur went to work š
pinayhekmi
October 2, 2006 at 2:52 pm (18 years ago)((Hugs)) Toni. I am so glad so many people I care and know about are safe. Thank the Lord!
jher
October 2, 2006 at 3:23 pm (18 years ago)Hi toni, glad you’re safe. and with pictures to boot! ako may video pa nga kaya lang not as spectacular coz it was taken by my phone. anyway, kakaloka ang bagyong ito. back to basics kami bigla. hay.
Lani
October 3, 2006 at 5:40 am (18 years ago)Last Sunday night, I was at the wake of 3 people who were killed by flash flood in Tagaytay, Cavite. Iām still grieving for the loss of lives brought about by Milenyo. The girl victim is only 15 years old while her brother is 18 years old. The other victim is a man who tried to help the girl. He did a heroic act. They are not my relatives but I know the 2 teenagers personally.
Every one of us, young and old, rich or poor, will not be spared by the wrath of nature. We should live our life to the fullest, be good always.