Batting Down the Hatches

Looks like we are in for some nasty weather the next few days as Super Typhoon Melor heads our way. As of right now the storm keeps moving back and forth from a Kansai (where we live) to a Tokyo landfall. Regardless, as of right now accuweather is predicting 6.06 inches of rain over the next 36 hours with high winds and possible flash flooding.

I'm not too worried as Kobe is located in a bay, and our area is pretty developed (although we do live right at the mountain so there may be flooding from there). However the US State Department issued a statement via email this morning that makes me a wee bit more cautious.

U.S. citizens should carry their travel documents at all times (i.e. U.S. Passport, Birth Certificate, picture IDs, etc.) or secure them in safe, waterproof locations. We also suggest that American citizens contact friends and family in the United States with updates about their whereabouts.

We had two tropical storms come through our area while living in NC so this can't be much worse. I think the part that makes it seem uncertain is that we have no way of knowing what the TV and radio are saying. All we can understand are the Japanese QVC channels and infomercials selling things like mortgage life insurance rates, both of which will not get us very far in daily life.

So in the meantime I will watch out for the shi shi's (wild boars) flocking down the mountain and I will dig through our swim gear for those extra snorkels and flippers –– just in case.