Well, not literally, just indirectly.
Our Audit Contact here is from Manila. He works around the clock all the time. We knew he only went home 2 or 3 times a year but wasn’t convinced he had family back home.
Monday we asked him if he was affected by the horrible storms that ravaged Manila over the weekend. Sure enough he was. He has a 2-story house that was flooded up to the ceiling of the 1st floor. His wife and young daughter were able to go up to the 2nd floor and were unharmed. Their teenage son was visiting a friend and the two of them were worried for his safety. All of a sudden…he came swimming up to their house. He and the friend had been concerned about how high the water would get so they took off to Felipe’s house where they were safe on the 2nd floor.
On Sunday Felipe and other of his Filipino friends went to the Filipino Embassy outside of Luanda where they often meet for afternoons of table tennis and socialization. On this Sunday they were all in communication with their homes in Manila. Felipe was able to talk to his wife because the cell phones were working and her power was restored after being out.
He now reports that the water has subsided and that mud is the problem of the day. His car in the garage that doesn’t get driven much was completely destroyed. He will get it replaced by insurance but at a great loss. This all sounds a lot like Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, etc. Over there they are typhoons. And there are two major rainstorms still predicted to be moving into the area.
Tonight as a gesture of International Goodwill we (i.e., BP) treated Felipe and his 2Filipino friends, Gilbert (the fat man – Felipe’s words) and Mar (the little man) to dinner at a very nice restaurant called Pimms. Had a T-bone steak, French fries and Johnny Walker Red. Yum, yum. Not worth a typhoon…but, need I remind anyone…two more wake-up calls and I’m outta here.
Later.
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