Typhoon Bolaven, hitting the Peninsula of Korea, at the beginning of this week….

A powerful typhoon called Bolaven pounded the peninsula of Korea with strong winds and heavy rain. Last Tuesday it reached South Korea, and churned up rough seas that smashed two fishing ships into rocks, killing at least five fishermen and forcing the coast guard to perform a daring rescue for the survivors.
 

 

Typhoon Bolaven was most powerful in the South of South Korea, leaving a trail of destruction, 25 people killed or missing and it knocked out power to hundreds of thousands of South Koreans, more than 200 canceled flights and temporarily halted joint war games by U.S. and South Korean military forces.

The government of South Korea issued a storm warning for the capital, Seoul, (where we live) as Bolaven battered the country’s south and west.

More than 15,000 school cancelled classes, businesses and homes taped their windows or paste the glass with wet newspaper to keep them from braking.

We prepared mainly everything in our gardens, putting away loose items....

 

 
 
In spite of all the tragedy it caused for many people, the more then 20 million living in greater Seoul, were fortunate that the Typhoon had lost a great deal of its strength before it reached this area.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

...but typhoon Bolaven still leaft a trail of damage behind!

Strong wind gusts left the streets of Seoul covered with leaves, garbage and branches. Over 330,000 South Korean households lost power and more than 70 were left homeless because of floods or storm damage.

 

 

In North Korea, Pyongyang’s official Korean Central News Agency reported gale force winds and heavy rain in many parts of the country. Big rainstorms often mean catastrophe in the North because of poor drainage, deforestation and decrepit infrastructure.

Until this day, North Korea is still trying to help people with food, shelter, health care and clean water after heavy flooding in July, according to a recent United Nations situation report. More than 170 died nationwide, and tens of thousands of homes were destroyed in the floods.

This peninsula, is in many ways a territory of extremes!

Well....where was my darling husband during all of this? Not here but on the Aircraft Carrier, USS George Washington!