Word from the Coast

So remember how I mentioned yesterday that the winds were supposed to be worse down on the coast? Well, I got an interesting email today from our neighbor/Junior-High-teacher-extraordinaire Christina. Seems she has been in touch with Kendra Cleveland, a former student down in Quinhagak (where she, along with Sara, Carey, and a few other teachers here had previously taught), and got the story of what's been happening:

you knw what?? we have about 70 knot winds here...the church bell fell...school windows trying to break...wires cutting in half...shacks an all falling...four wheelers going across the roads...55 gallon drums going across....a teacher house got its window broken

I expressed my concern and got the following reply and extended description...

yea i knw...its like so bad... all the villages lights are out. im at the school...we're still having school...the winds came around lunch time.. kids have to wait for there parents to pick them up. not unless they stay here in the school.... since electrical wires are flying around we're told to stay here in the school...not unless our parents says its ok for us to go home or they pick us up... yea...the lil kids parents or grandparents are picking'em up...so we're almost the ones left....and theres trash flying around....the wind got calm an now it picked up again..

And then later...

well winds went up to 100 around here...so yea..we're still in school....im in p.e. but i dont want to go to that class..the teacher said it was ok for me to be in his class with the 6th graders

Now Quinhagak is Internetless. I'm only assuming they are in school at all today. I'm not really sure. I'll let you know if I hear more.

Just to give a little comparison (weather geek that I am), 70 knots is 80.6 miles per hour. 100 knots is 115.2 mph. That's equal to a Category 3 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale. So yeah, pretty windy.

But hopefully things have died down there a little bit by now and not too much damage was done. And Kendra, if you're reading this, hope you're doing good and everything's ok...thanks for the info!!