On 22 August 2008, tropical storm Nuri hit Hong Kong directly. At one point, the eye of Nuri was above Lantau Island, just a few kilometers from Lamma where we live. These pictures show our three days with Nuri.
A Direct Hit: Typhoon Nuri
One day before the typhoon, we took a walk to the beach to see how things were developing.
Oliver wanted to take a picture of Donny but he wasn’t sure what Oliver was up to this time.
It was just a photo after all. That’s okay.
Freddie wasn’t so fond of having her picture taken.
Okay, if he insists.
The light had already become a bit eerie. We could tell that the weather was changing
The sea was still calm.
The next morning, August 22, gusts of wind tousled the banana trees in front of our bedroom window.
The neighbors were getting ready for Nuri. At that time the storm’s center was about 40 km southeast of Hong Kong.
Small branches came down
Wind speed accelerated almost by the minute...
... and it started to rain.
Donny wasn’t happy about it.
Ships had sought shelter at the lee side of Lamma.
Nuri headed straight for Hong Kong. Everybody expected a direct hit and we got it.
Freddie didn’t want to walk any more. She just sat down and waited for Oliver to pick her up.
It was getting darker.
Maybe, it was a good idea to just go home.
So we turned back home.
Lots of berries had come down because of the strong wind.
Some flowers didn’t seem to mind the storm.
Oliver at least had a good time.
It was really getting time to go home. The storm signal No. 9 was about to be hoisted.
Clearing the gutters was recommended to avoid flooding.
Drying at home while the storm was roaring outside was a good feeling.
The next day, Saturday, we went out to inspect the damage Nuri had done.
Things didn’t look too bad.
There was some blue sky.
The waves weren’t too high.
Still, it was good to keep an eye on them. They were making a lot of noise.
It was safe to sit at the shore for a while ...
... and watch the waves trying to climb the walls.
Freddie was not interested in the waves. She wanted her food. It was already afternoon.
On our way back home we finally passed a damaged tree we didn’t know the name of ...
... and a poor Banana tree. Too bad they weren’t ripe. Donny is a great fan of bananas.
Oh, and just next to our door ... there went the Banana plantation.
