Coming down the home stretch

Some news from the Philippines-

MANILA, Philippines - One of the strongest typhoons to hit the storm-prone Philippines in years battered the mountainous north late Sunday, and the country's president urged people to prepare for the worst.

"Let us all pray," President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo said in a message on nationwide radio as she ordered schools and government offices closed in the affected area and temporarily banned bus trips there.

Typhoon Cimaron lashed Isabela province with sustained winds of 121 mph and gusts of up to 143 mph, the Philippine weather bureau said. Hours earlier, the region was placed under the highest of a four-step warning system to advise residents to abandon vulnerable coasts and mountains.

"The wind is really blowing strong. Trees are swaying and I can hear tin roof sheets banging about. Large areas are without light. We're expecting the worst," Armand Araneta, a provincial Office of Civil Defense officer, told The Associated Press by phone from Isabela.

The storm was expected to disrupt the national All Saints' Day holiday, on Wednesday, when millions travel to cemeteries to remember their dead, some leaving days in advance for outlying provinces. Officials warned people to cancel trips to threatened areas.

All Saints Day is a holiday in The Philippines. All Souls Day is too if I recall correctly. The Philippines is Asia's most predominant Christian(Mostly Roman Catholic) nation.

My in-laws are from Leyte in the Central Philippines. They weren't affected by the storm.

This Saturday marks the day my wife returns from a four and a half week visit to her family. I've been home alone since October 2nd and will be glad to see my dear wife again.

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