Cyclone Rene

Cyclone Rene has been showing her force here in Samoa. Cyclones are the equivalent of a hurricane, just given a different name in the South Pacific. Rene was a category 2 Cyclone and passed just to the east of Samoa. The winds began gusting early Friday morning and school was let out early at 10:30a.m. Peace Corps had given us warning of the storm on Thursday and advised us to prepare our emergency kits. I was boiling water all of Thursday night in preparation, as well as charging electronic devices. That has come to be a smart choice, considering the fact I lost power early Saturday morning around 2a.m. When I woke up this morning, I found that a tree had fallen down next to my house. The wind came in strong bursts and was blowing papers around the house and slamming doors. My neighbors had to reinforce their roof by placing tires on top of the metal roof. The rain came in heavy down pours that would last for several minutes and then let up. Today the weather seems to be improving. Now let’s hope my power comes on soon!