Typhoon Watch – 10/03/09

We are now safely ensconced in the Holiday Inn Galleria at Robinson’s Galleria Mall in Pasig City just across EDSA (a main thoroughfare in Metro Manila) from the city of San Juan. It is good to be looking out at the rain from the relative safety of the hotel.

Metro Manila and Luzon are again on a typhoon watch. Typhoon Parma, local name Peping, is expected to hit today unless it holds to a path that keeps it off-shore. Regardless of the path, though, we are in for some heavy rainfall as typhoons tend to drop rain for several hundred miles either side of their actual course and if it misses you all you’re really spared is the wind. Small comfort.

The sky is fittingly gloomy as we look out this morning but the mood in the hotel is fairly light. Those of us who are here—and believe me the majority of the occupants are well-to-do locals who have checked-in to avoid the possibility of being trapped in flooding—are happy to be out of harm’s way and dry.

We did notice that the well-stocked grocery store in the mall was exceptionally busy last night with people trying to stock-up on whatever they could find before going home. One of the unique things about the panic buying in the Philippines was that because of the rain there were exceedingly long waiting lines for taxi service outside the mall and many were sitting there with their groceries wrapped in plastic waiting for a ride for an hour or more.

Despite the typhoon watch, rescue efforts continue as do fund raising efforts to benefit the victims of the original flooding. There will be a Charity Poker Tournament later today at the Mall of Asia near Manila Bay (subject to cancellation if Parma takes a hard left and heads towards Manila) and collections of both goods and cash by the Philippine Red Cross and charitable organizations continues at a high rate.

More on the weather as it develops.