Typhoon Glenda Evacuees: Storm Ready, Stay, Pray and Feast

Typhoon Glenda Evacuees 
 Storm Ready, Stay, Pray and Feast
Surviving Typhoon Glenda Series1 

Getting Storm Ready 

July 14 and 15, 2014

 It was sunny and the weather was still beautiful on 

July 14, 2014, but the whole Bicol Region was  
placed under Storm Signal # 3, as Typhoon Glenda 
was expected  to hit the province the next day. Everybody 
went  home early to   prepare for the oncoming storm.

We had our roof covered with fish net to
restrain the shingles from tearing apart,



…we also placed old car tires to prevent
the whole roof from being blown away.

We have locked and secured
the window storm shutters,





…placed the books at the library inside
plastic bags to avoid from getting wet.







We have covered the furniture and
beds with thick plastic sheets to
prevent them from getting soaked.





On July 15, shortly after lunch, we locked up to secure the  house,  
and off we went to our evacuation site- the Villa  Caceres  Hotel,   
where we checked- in for an overnight stay, until the storm is over.


Stay and Feast at the Evacuation Site 
Villa Caceres Hotel One Bedroom Suite

It took us a long time to check- in as there were a  lot 
of storm evacuees trying to get a room at the front desk.

It was past 12 noon, so we decided to eat lunch at the 
hotel’s restaurant while waiting for them to prepare room.

I initially booked a Family Room  but when  I found out that it looked like a
standard room  with two queen beds, I decided to get a One Bedroom Suite. 



Villa Caceres Hotel’s One Bedroom Suite  is one of the  most 
beautiful hotel suites that we have stayed anywhere else in the world.

It had a European Mediterranean inspired interiors 
and had huge beautiful sofa on the living room,

… a big, round dining table, with a Lazy Daisy table top.

…and a massive study table,

The bedroom, was also very beautiful

with a rather small queen sized bed,

…had a nice European style closet,

…a full vanity area,

…and a beautiful bathroom with Jacuzzi, which
is one of the two beautiful toilets in the suite.

They call this room a Presidential Suite but I believe it is  an
 overstatement.  It is a beautiful suite room but not fit to be called
presidential so I would only refer this room as a One Bedroom Suite.

Villa Caceres Hotel also serves a decent

spread of food in their breakfast buffet,

…a good selection of local, oriental and

continental cuisine on the restaurant,

…and on in- room dining.

It is a comfortable room to spend the night on the onslaught of the typhoon,

as we could relax and rest as a busy day of cleaning up awaits us in the morning.

The Morning After

July 16, 2014

The storm was gone, when we woke up the next

day, had an early breakfast at the buffet area,

…and drove back home

to see what was left on it.

From a distance- it looked okay,

but it was a depressing sight up- close,

A part of our roof was blown away,

…the whole lanai roofing

was also blown away.

Our garden was in disarray,

…our ceilings leaked and damaged,

…the carpets were wet, and we were 
up  for a whole day of cleaning.

Thankfully, there was a house being  constructed in our neighborhood and

some of the  carpenters came to  fix the hole in our roof, albeit temporarily.

JR, our ever reliable gardener, also came  to help, 
despite the fact that he also lost his house.

My wife cleaned up the house all by her lonesome 
and restored it to its pre- typhoon glory like magic,

while I manually dried thecarpets on the second floor.

We checked out of the hotel shortly after lunch, 
albeit without electricity, everything returned to normal.

My young son entertained himself pretending to be cowboy, 
galloping on his imaginary horse made of a metal pole.
 

Without electricity, the kids' play is back 
to the basics,  which,  I believe is good. 

Thereafter

July 17, 2014, onwards

The carpets were beginning to smell so we spent
 the whole morning trying to dry them manually.

Our housekeepers were still absent but our two gardeners came to work

and was able to clean up the typhoon debris in our neighborhood.

On July 18, 2014, our roof contractor was able to send workers 
to fix our roof  but was not able to work as it rained the whole day.

We resumed working as we were not able to  give salaries 
to our employees on the 15^th because of the typhoon.

On Sunday, assessors from the insurance company

came to assess the typhoon damage in our house,

…and the hardworking linemen from the electric company 
came restore our electricity shortly after lunch.
 

Our domestic helpers were in full force last Sunday,
 and everything seemed to  have returned to normal. 


Read my other Typhoon Glenda Series 

on the links Below

Typhoon Glenda Evacuees 
 Storm Ready, Stay, Pray and Feast 
Surviving Typhoon Glenda Series 1


Guess Who Came on a Weekend
 After Typhoon Glenda?

Surviving Typhoon Glenda Series 2

The Villa Caceres Hotel

Mediterranean Opulence in Naga City
Surviving Typhoon Glenda Series 3