March 27, 2015
Dearest Friends and family
Tuesday 31 March: We continue to have internet problems in town. It tried to send this on Friday with no luck. We have none in the village. Our phone service comes and goes. We have had moderate winds for the last week and rain most every day. It makes it very hard to do any repairs outside and very, very frustrating in that a lot of my things are still outside under plastic but nevertheless rusting. The laminate flooring in the house is total trash but have no time to tear it out. I did get the muffler fixed and back on the truck Monday and the lights back on the ceiling in the house. The fans will have to be replaced.
RAIN RAIN RAIN
The last week of February was very very wet, over 150mm (6 inches) in 6 days.
We had flowing in the yard several times with water flowing under the car and
through the work area and under the containers. Glad we had the roof up on the
student housing. We also experienced thunder and lightning with lightning taking
out the LNB on our satellite dish. That is the only way we stay tuned to the
world news. Had to replace that!
The motor bike had a fuel meltdown one day when I was up at the school. The fuel connection to the carburetor corroded off. I walked home and got some parts and the truck. I jerry-rigged it and drove the truck back home and then walked backed and drive the bike back home for more permanent repairs. Then the clutch cable broke. Suffice it to say they do not have any of the parts I needed in this country. The next time in town I was able to get a clutch cable for a Suzuki model which I modified to fit. The fuel line was another modified fix, which is working.
GOMAN'S HOUSE AND SCHOOL BUILDINGS
I was able to build and install Ure's kitchen cabinets. (pictures in lost camera).
We were also able to put up the exterior cement board and the masonite interior
walls on the student housing. I had to plane down the wood needed for the doors
and window frames. Then they were installed and the doors were put on. Goman
had run all the wiring for the lights and power points. Thursday we cleaned
up the site and put tarps up and black plastic over the open window holes (waiting
until the frames were painted before putting in the louvers and glass). Cyclone
Pam was already hitting us with outer winds and rain.
CYCLONE PAM
We had a week to watch the cyclone form and see where it was heading, and it
was heading right for Vanuatu. It started out right of the most Northern islands
but then started turning West right for our Island, Efate. Projections were
for a Category 5 cyclone so I battened down the hatches and secured what I could.
Friday afternoon/night March 13 (our time) cyclone Pam hit us. Kathy and I were
in the house and we could hear the winds howling outside. Steve called asking
about everyone on the other side of the road as they did not answer their phone.
So I put on my foul weather gear and ran over to check on them.
They were alright and I called Steve back. Then the phones went dead. As the evening wore on we could hear the roof sheet metal being lifted and Kathy putour passports and other stuff in a bag and we moved into one of the containers to wait the storm out. We barely got out the door and into the container because the winds were so strong. I have (had) a small weather station and the wind gusts were over 75 mph before they blew my wind gauge off the pole (in pieces). My last pressure reading was at 2125 and it was 962 hPa. Forecasters were saying the core pressure was 904 hPa. The winds had also disintegrated my rain gauge by then. We went into the container when the generator went down about 2200. I forgot to shut down the solar invertor, which toasted when the rains flooded it.
Imagine a tornado for 10 hours. Cyclone Pam came right over Eton village and our house and the before winds were nothing compared to the "after the eye" winds. The experts say hat the sustained winds were 250 kph (155 mph) with gusts over 300 kph (180 mph) for 10+ hours.
After the fact and when we could got to town this was my first report back to Jason. Some of you received it but Yahoo limited him to less than half of my list so some of you may see it again, sorry!
"In the hurts big time. Pam ended up being category
6 (past their readings) and the eye passed right over our village. For over
24 hours it sounded like a freight train and had the impact of a tornado. We
saw it coming for over 5 days. The weather service here was not saying anything.
The last 10 hours Kathy and I were hunkered in one of the containers. (If we
had used one of the other ones we would have been trapped in after the storm
because storm debris fell in front of them.) We could hear everything leaving
the premises. After about three hours in the container and when the eye came
over and it was calm for a few minutes I poked my head out and most of the roofing
was still in place, HOWEVER when it hit again, the gusts were estimated at over
300 kmh. I had already lost my wind speed machine at over 100 kmh. The centre
pressure was 904 hpa.
Back of our house
Behind containers
Over 90% had damage or lost houses, THE WHOLE ISLAND!. Tanna suffered 95%
but that is because most of their houses are made out of bush materials Our
house is not too good. It blew away everything attached and then some. When
the wind took off panels over the roof it blew everything (much rain. leaves,
sticks, etc) into the house. It sucked all the ceiling panels down and then
shredded the reflector paper into 2,000,003 little pieces that are everywhere.
That means we have no upper lights in the house or fans as they were attached
to the ceiling. Water was/is everywhere and we are still finding areas where
it went and still is. Both of us had to empty our dressers and dry the clothes
then she washed them Monday and Tuesday. Even though we lost all the siding
on the laundry and everything was sucked out and blown away the washer worked.
One of my weed wackers was found 300 meters on the other side of our house -
go figure. Our roofing iron is scattered 50-500 meters in the path of the wind.
Thankfully no one had a house in that direction. We lost the solar panels, the
electrical wiring outside, inverter for the solar system, the water piping (but
not the tank), outside cladding, the chicken coop, the verandah, all the roofing
over the carports and work area, the roofing between the container where the
solar batteries and generator equipment was kept. After the verandah flew off
the wind attacked the front of the house and cracked the cement block bottom
wall and pushed the whole front wall 15 inches into the house we could not open
the front door after the storm. Monday Kathy and I jacked up the rafters at
the front in one action and I then used a come-a-long to pull the wall back
to vertical and then dropped the rafters back onto the wall. I still have to
secure it but there are only so many hours in a working day without lights.
Major rain in the kitchen/living room and my office meaning we lost the TV,
my 17" Mac Pro 17, too many books to count, too much paperwork to think
about, the rugs soaked, bed soaked, the chairs soaked, loads of food in boxes
no good, the foot lockers with food had water in them and (I can't go on it
is too depressing.) It just keeps coming - something new everyday! Just found
the scanner on the shelf in my office full of water……..and more
wet books…….
We have not had cell phone reception since Friday afternoon, no satellite connection,
no radio, no communication. Our satellite dish was ripped off the stand but
I was able to get an old rusty one up (in the rain) and connected to Japan network
Sunday afternoon. That was fun also with rain the following two days of the
storm. We have no lights in the house but the power points mostly work and I
will have to check all the electrical as well. The road it washed out at a bridge
approach just out of Port Vila so there has been no traffic. (It had a temporary
fix this Tuesday PM and an Australian Defense assessment team came out and we
talked with them. We got into town Wednesday for petrol, checking email, buying
new solar panels and slicking up on rice, sugar,noodles, canned meat and canned
fish, etc for relief efforts coming up.) Port Vila was almost as badly hit as
we were. They are under a 6:00pm - dawn curfew6:am. The winds took the bark
off many of the bushes and trees at the school!!!!!!!!
I went to the school (the sign is still standing) and Goman's house faired well (they were in town and lost that house), the new student housing lost a door and a corner of a roof panel but the classroom/library lost the roof. A gust picked up the whole roof, rafters and all and tilted it back and then shifted it to the right and deposited on a tree on the right side. Not completely off but we will have to take it completely apart and rebuild it because it took the back wall down as well and that much wood it too heavy to shift as one section.
So the thought we had was to get the building pretty
much complete before we came back for my VA evaluation and check-up in May and
then start up the school later this year - just changed (and God is laughing).
I estimate it will take us a minimum of a year (more like two years) to get
the buildings finished and the property cleaned up (not to mention additional
funds to rebuild - $30,000). More than 80% of all the trees are down including
coconut trees and almost all of the lemon trees. It is going to take me awhile
to get our house livable and the property cleaned up (everybody else is working
on their own houses also). Without a ceiling the bugs (especially mosquitos)
are just like we are outside. I just don't know what I can afford to rebuild
(roofing over the workshop and such ($15-20,000 for everything). And no we did
not have insurance because the companies here will not insure outside the towns!
I am trying to keep my new cuts (roofing iron has sharp edges) and scrapes from
getting infected. I have to take up to ten salt tablets a day or I cramp up
at night BAD!
It could have been much worse for us: we are safe (not sure about 'and sound');
we have a well and generators out here where in town we would have been waiting
for the council and still not have anything, none of the three containers were
breached; my tools were safe (not my table saw); the refrigerator was safe;
I was able to get the generators started for power; I was able to dry out the
truck and get it started Sunday; we had services with the building even losing
1/4 of the roof on one side and all the windows on one side (we personally only
lost 4 roof panels but that was enough-there were many more bent); I got the
bike running (without one of the mirrors); I got the water system back on line
so we have water; the roof holes are covered; we have some cash as the banks
are still closed and cash only at the stores in town.
I cannot help but know (experience with Waria Valley Flash fires, 1997) it will take at least 6 months for most of Vanuatu to be somewhat self-sufficient again. They lost all their gardens, coconut trees, pawpaw trees and many more fruit trees. This was also their source of revenue so in about three weeks most will run out of money to buy any store food or rebuilding supplies. They also lost local bush material to rebuild bush houses. Many nations are already sending help but it will take a lot. I would estimate over 150,000 out of the 260,000 people we have will hit the wall in three weeks. Hopefully we can get the word out to the brethren for help. Epau lost the whole church building roof (fell down inside) and Arthur who lives next lost his whole house. Rebecca lost the roof on the main house across the road, the thatch house became very holey (we gave them a tarp for temporary repair), and the butchery lost half the roof which flipped up and folded over when the latter (after the eye) winds hit hardest. Eddie Karris lost both his houses. Other Christians suffered damage as well. Relief funds will allow us to buy tarps now and food as the need becomes more dire in the weeks to come, even nails.
I lost my Mac Pro 17" (with older O/S) and since that is the one with my email program I cannot send emails out. We have lots of pictures even though I lost the camera the first day after the storm after taking lots of pics. Thank goodness for iphones and iPads. (What did we do before then??????????) We still have NO PHONE OR INTERNET SERVICE in the village.
UPDATE: Tomorrow will be two weeks after the event. Reports have the winds peaking at over 300 kph. Weather people said it was a Category 5+ super cyclone. WE KNOW - WE WERE IN IT. We only had 13 fatalities. The French sent in a plane with over 1,000 body bags and when they landed to smiles and waving hands they thought they had landed at the wrong nation. If I could have contacted them I would have asked for the bags as they can be used to store water as well (and some said Vietnam taught us no lessons!) Planes are coming in from all over the world with relief supplies. Many are also sending even more in ships which will arrive in the months to come.
Me talking with the Eton men after a trip up and down
the road to access damage. Trying to explain what had happened.
I have been able to get the generators back under cover as we are still having rain. I tarped the chicken house as our dog sees them as play items. Since the storm I had let them free range and beat the dog, no longer. The two local chicken farms were wiped out, one 138,000 birds + eggs the other 120,000 birds plus eggs. Ours 14 survivors will be like gold. Eggs are now being air-freighted in and they are $8.50 a dozen at the store. Our hens are laying 2-5 per day.
God is good!
The mobile phone service came back after 10 days so we were able to text our children. This last week I have been able: to got the roof panels replaced on the house (Tal had 4 sheets of roofing I bought from him); got the plywood ceiling cleaned and re-installed; got the solar system put back together (except for the 25 broken panels); realigned the water system; reconnected the power switches that were ripped out when the ceiling panels fell; got the power points all working (some had the wires ripped out also). We still have no overhead lights or fans, but will. I had to cut and make 1/4 round moulding today for the ceiling because they do not sell it here. That was fun as my power saw is outside and I have no cover for a work area, just did it between rain. I use a lot LOT of CRC on the metal. Without enough covered area a lot of my stuff and many other's as well gets ruined due to the continuous rains and wind. The Lord and I have had words about this but I think He understands and it helps me vent!
Kathy had been doing the cleaning inside the house (bless her heart) and the yard for small periods of time so as not to get too hot. She is struggling with all the dirt that came out of the ceiling into the house as well as the 24/7 of burning fires all around us as people burn the debris piles. Most of the front screening (fly wire) on the house still needs to be replaced.
We had talked about staying in a hotel in town while I rebuild the house but with the road closed at first and most of the hotels and resorts suffering damage that was not an option. Over 60% of our resorts are closed for 6 months - not much for tourists to come and see. So we stayed in the house and it has been very hard, mentally. It is better now as we see some results.
Since this is an island and everybody was impacted to some degree it not like when a tornado hits in the USA. Everyone here is having to rebuild their own house so very, very few helpers and the relief supplies have to be flown or boated in (takes time). Then everyone wants to rebuild but the supplies are very limited. When I went to get roofing panels Tuesday I was told they have no stock and it will be next month before the boat comes in. Just my luck, my boat is not in! So tarps are the flavour of the day. We have been able to use what little cash we have to buy tarps for ourselves and others before the stores in town ran out.
We have word that the bank will finally be open tomorrow.
When the road opened on the 17th we have gone in on our regular days of Tuesday
and Friday for fuel and food supplies. We eat lunch at an American style restaurant
which has an abbreviated menu now with fruits and other items not being available.
We pretend that things are normal for a while before we come back home to ground
zero. Port Vila did get a lot of damage but they missed the eye of the cyclone.
We are stocking up on rice, cracker biscuits, washing soap (clothes and body),
canned meat (fish and pork) and other things. Groups have already started handing
out food relief (and other stuff) and we plan to use ours to supplement the
government allotment. They have said they will give an adult ration of 5 kg
of rice, 1 can of fish, 1 can of luncheon pork, and two packets of noodles every
15 days. I will guarantee the ministers would not like that ration.
I have covered the school classroom roof with a tarp and we will start taking the roof apart and then re building it when we get our personal houses liveable. I had ordered additional timber before the cyclone and the men from the sawmill said there was some wood they had cut waiting for me. So last Monday I did a few small jobs around the house and then hooked the trailer on the truck and headed up to where the wood was. The men were in a truck coming back to the village when Juju and I passed them on the road. We both stopped and I reversed to meet them. I forgot I had the trailer on and too late it jack-knifed smacking my bumper and almost tore the hitch carrier off the trailer. Okay, my bad! I unhooked it and the men got in my truck and we went to get the wood and load it on top of the truck. We did do but on the way out I was brought to a noisy halt when I ran over a hidden rock in the center of the path we we travelling on. When I say rock I mean rock - about 40 inches in diameter. Their bad! I had to get some wood and drive up on it to get the rock out. It smashed the muffler off the exhaust pipe and whacked the drive shaft. I wired the muffler up and drove noisily back home where I had to do a quick weld job before we could go to town the next day. We have no muffler shops here so I will have to find a workshop that has some type of muffler we can put on (you say Dodge dealer, ha ha). Right now it sounds like it has glass packs.
We were able to go check-up on the brethren in Epau Sunday afternoon. Eric Brannel,
a missionary has been getting stuff up to them. Their village water was no good
because of all the debris in the stream, the source for their water. Countries
are bringing in water purifying systems. When we were there the 7th day Adventist
gave out a small personal water purifying system to people and one of the sisters
brought to Arthur's house. There were no instructions on how to put it together
but I was able to show her. Now we have heard that someone started a rumour
that there are purifying pills in the kit and they will kill children so everyone
is just chucking them. There are no pills! They would rather drink brown water!
We are finally getting the daily papers delivered to the house again but the news and the way this government is handling the situation is abominable. They have no clue and are way out of their league. We are planning to do the best with what we get in making sure the brethren first are taken care of. The first relief supplies from the Red Cross (traps, small solar light units, some food) out here in Eton was given only to the Presbyterian church members because the organizers were leaders in that church.
We have a long way to go yet with roofing, wood, trash, etc still scattered over our yard. At least Tal came over and cut up the trees that had fallen.
My son Jason has texted me of the many offers of help many of you are offering, God bless you! Since we can still get food supplies here cash is the best help we can send.
I am sending this on a borrowed Mac Pro 17 computer. God is good!
Onward and upward!
Thank you so much for all of you who are praying for us, supporting us and have contributed to our needs. God bless you! Thank you for your prayers!
Thank you Lord for healing and providing what we need!
Grace & Peace
Tobey & Kathy
Huff
Ph (and text): 678 596-4821 (Vanuatu is +17 hours)
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PS A cyclone relief fund has been set up at our sponsor and Jason can give instructions if anyone wants to wire TT money straight to our bank account here.
Contributions for the Huffs, the
Bible school and the Scholorship fund can be sent to:
Huffs/Bible School
c/ Mt Hope church of Christ
2830 Mt Hope Rd
Webb City MO 64870
or
Jason Huff
2730 E 24th St
Joplin MO 64804