Super Typhoon

Apparently, Typhoon Man-Yi was crazy enough to be classified a Super Typhoon and it was the strongest one to pass through in 4 years. Word on the street is that the storm passed 21 NM to our west (pretty darn close) and had sustained winds of 144 mph with 173 mph gusts! We actually only saw sustained winds of around 105 mph, but that was enough to do some damage to the trees (some even torn up by their roots, others just lost limbs). It seems strange, but there's no thunder or lightning in the storm, just lots and lots of wind and rain. Luckily, other than a drip or two inside the windows, we had no other major issues. We were "locked down" in our homes for about 17 1/2 hours and lost power 3 times, but each time was only a couple of hours, so it wasn't all that bad. These houses aren't much to look at on the outside, but a typhoon just makes you appreciate why they build everything out of concrete. All in all, we faired pretty well for our first typhoon, and as far as Okinawa in general, there were no fatalities, just several injuries. We'll keep our eyes peeled for any noteworthy pictures and continue to keep you posted on our adventurous first island summer...