sorry for the long absence...

last saturday i awoke from my sleep to hear yelping coming from the kids room.

in the back of my mind i was aware that there was a thunderstorm going on, but it wasn't enough to seriously wake me up. there have been so many late nights recently...i wanted to snooze until at least 8am. i am selfish that way.

but the yelping got me up. it was unlike the typical "you have something i want give it back" timbre yelp, and it was a bit disconcerting.

i turned on to my back, and became aware that underneath my eyelids was going white then immediately dark again, and that there were crashes and booms right alongside our flat. there was a rainstorm unlike anything i had ever seen before. and i have been here for 11 years.

turns out, it was a black rain storm, with 145mm (a metre and a half) of rain coming down on hong kong between 8 - 9am. it was the highest hourly rainfall since records began. from midnight until 6pm on june 7, 308 mm of rain fell, the fifth highest daily rainfall recorded in june. but the real kicker was between 8-9am.

539 flooding reports were recorded, and two deaths were recorded as well.

check out this youtube video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=on7PtuDghSs&feature=related

around 2.30 there shows a couple on their way to their traditional wedding...gorgeous footage!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kfZsun3CW9s&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dqPht9TCthY&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ajr6bzxDs44&NR=1

 

the entire family went for a walk. the triplets made it as far as the front gates. then the thunder and lightening freaked them out to such an extent they wanted to head home, so i took them home and they consoled themselves spectacularly by wearing my high heels and walking up and down the carpet runner/catwalk.

sebastian and charles walked down the hospital drive and into the hospital, where they saw the ground floor of the hospital, which is against the mountain, was covered in water. the force of the water had broken down a set of doors, and there were seniors shuffling along the corridors, pushing their oxygen tanks, ankle deep in water. he took a few pictures. it was really incredible he said.

we went for a drive after the rain stopped (and it stopped very suddenly) and saw boulders in the road, branches and so much silt. and deep deep puddles. it was really amazing. the kids were overwhelmed.

then we started getting calls from friends telling us how they had been caught in traffic for three hours, and then we started getting calls from loved ones asking if we were all right. and thankfully, we were. my email isn't however, all my emails are sitting in my outbox instead of my "sent" box, and i can't figure out what is going on. oh well, that's a small problem when all is said and done.

 

Comments

[Dad aka GDB]

I think 145 mms equates to 14.5 cm or roughly 6 inches of rain or as we equate it in the Arctic, 60 inches of snow.

Good weather for Wellies,Macs and Brollies.

Love to all.....Dad

[Auntie Pammie]

Glad to hear you are all well xoxxo

[Boulder]

That person who took the video driving? Not bright.

Arizona has a "monsoon season" which is typically in July, August & September but varies because it is based upon climatic data. In our season we get 1/3 of the year's water, and it typically comes in sudden, late afternoon thunderstorms with dramatic temperature drops.

Each year before the season arrives, we are bombarded with messages about the danger of running water. In fact, we are in the middle of these evening news specials running with the warnings that "nearly half of all flash flood fatalities are automobile related. Two feet of water will carry away most automobiles and you can lose control of your vehicle in just 6 inches of water."

Every year, we have people who die or who have to be rescued because they thought their car was "big enough" to make it through. It is such a problem, that in order to reinforce the no-nonsense approach, local municipalities have inacted "Stupid Motorist Laws" which require motorist who survive to reimburse the city or county for the expense of coming to the motorist's rescue.

Didn't mean to go off the deep end here, but when I saw the raging water that was being navigated for "work," I felt ill for that motorist's family.

Question? What (other than a Michael Douglas movie, a Japanese book, and an Ozzy Osbourne song) does Black Rain mean?

Is it like a black diamond on a ski slope?

[Mo aka Maureen aka Grandmother aka Mum]

Wowwwwww honey, amazing. So glad you are all safe and well.

Love, M xox

[Carolyn]

Thank goodness you are all safe.
C

[Joseph]

Dear Auntie Pammie,

"Black" is the category indicating the severity of the rain. We have in Hong Kong a regular rain storm, a yellow rain storm, a red rain storm - and finally the black rain storm warning - black being the highest category of course.

Tess - thanks for linking to my video!

Joseph (kayan) Lau

[Mel]

That must have been quite spectacular! Lucky we have His promise... hope you got to see a rainbow afterwards?