OT: Wish us luck

Praying for you and all those around you.

Donna

Thanks, everyone, for your good wishes.
If any of you become aware of relief efforts for Saipan through your churches or other organizations, please do what you can. Saipan is full of low-paid alien contract workers who are ineligible for certain types of government aid reserved for citizens and LPRs. Their homes, unlike ours, are not only damaged but gone.
Lak and I are fortunate to be unharmed, still have (half) a roof over our heads, and most of all, have resources to make our own recovery (tho we'll gladly accept any FEMA assistance we qualify for). We were able to score some building materials today to patch the roof, so hopefully the gaping hole will have at least a temporary fix in about a week. Friends are pitching in with offers of temporary housing, and we'll take some R&R days in a local hotel. We made decent progress in cleanup today.
Best,
Saipan Pair o' Dice (that's for you, LifeCointosses!)

Glad you’re OK and will look for a way to support.

Amazing photos coming out of Saipan now. Read in the Pacific Daily News (USA Today Network) that Red Cross has mobilized for support (Saipan is, of course, a US commonwealth); readers were encouraged to give to support their effort. I've personally been fed by the Red Cross in the immediate aftermath of a Florida hurricane 20 years ago, and now give-back regularly. Done.

LINK: Red Cross

So very sorry to hear of the terrible damage this storm has caused you. Here is a news blurb describing the post-storm situation on Saipan:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yshgrr_j0ny

Best wishes that recovery will go well for you.

And thank you as well for considering it important enough to take the time to keep us informed of your situation, when clearly you have such other severe and pressing matters in front of you right now

Wow - that's awful news. But glad to year you and family are ok.
Jim

garyi said...
Even 155 mph winds can’t keep a good man, and his family down. Trust your dog handled all the ‘excitement’ well.

Try 180 mph sustained winds over the course of six hours, with gusts 200+. Having grown up in SoFla and lived in Saipan 11 years, I've been through many hurricanes/typhoons, but nothing close to this experience. If you're ever in the path of a Category 5 storm and are wondering how much worse it can possibly be than a Cat 4, the answer is: a lot. Get the heck out of there if you can.
All three dogs are unharmed, thanks for asking.

Rich, keep up ‘your spirits, thank goodness you guys are safe.

Thanks for asking, Roger. No new thread, I haven't posted on the Saipan recovery recently.

Mrs Paradise and I are doing OK and much more fortunate than most who suffered severe damage to their homes during Typhoon Yutu. The morning after, a construction foreman who lives down the street from us surveyed the damage to our home and wrote out a list of materials needed to fix it. As soon as the hardware stores and construction suppliers reopened, I snatched them up, including Butler roofing panels, which disappeared quick. A friend who had a work crew under contract for a new house he's been building released the crew for three days to repair our roof, and they're finishing the job today (Saturday). We'll still need to replace most of the ceiling and fixtures in weeks and months to come, but at least we're protected from the elements. Mrs and her friends have done a phenomenal job cleaning the mess inside the house, and coworkers from my office came over to help clear from our land the ex-tin roofs and other debris that was blown onto our property.

Even with all the material advantages my wife and I have, we're physically and emotionally exhausted. But we're powering through.

Red Cross, Salvation Army, FEMA, USACE and others are here in force and offering amazing assistance. The biggest challenge for most residents has been no water service. FEMA has brought in generators to power the water system, and hopefully within a few days most villages will have water. This has been especially difficult for families with small children. One of the armed services -- Navy, I think -- has brought in reverse osmosis units and that's stemmed the drinking water crisis.

On another front, my dad (89 years old) had to be taken to Delray (FL) Hospital last night after a fall owing to his not staying on top of his Parkinson's medication. Sounds like he didn't break anything and, after a few days' recuperation and PT, will be released, but it's pretty clearly time for him to move out of the house and into assisted living. So I may be coming to Florida soon to help him and my brother and sister find him a place and sell the house. I'll give ya'll a heads-up if that happens. Would be nice to get together with Ken and Gary again, and meet Rob and any other Friendly Floridians and snowbirds that may be there then.

--SP.

All things considered I am very happy for you. Except for your father, I will be sending my positive thoughts for him and you.

Roger