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1. Embed this notice
   clacke (clacke@libranet.de)'s status on Friday, 01-Sep-2023 19:21:51 JST clacke

   We're safe, but lots of colleagues came here this week from e.g. Singapore and Tokyo, for the first time since 2018.

   They had booked flights home for early Friday ... but not early enough, as the T8 was raised at 02:40.

   reuters.com/world/asia-pacific…

   • Sexy Moon likes this.
   • Embed this notice
     clacke (clacke@libranet.de)'s status on Friday, 01-Sep-2023 19:23:42 JST clacke

     in reply to
     2023-09-01 18:20 Raised to T9. This is now the strongest tropical storm since 2018.
   • Embed this notice
     clacke (clacke@libranet.de)'s status on Friday, 01-Sep-2023 19:29:28 JST clacke

     in reply to

     The center is not at its closest to us yet, so it will be growing stronger yet for a few more hours.

     #hongkong #typhoon #saola

   • Embed this notice
     clacke (clacke@libranet.de)'s status on Friday, 01-Sep-2023 22:14:37 JST clacke

     in reply to

     2023-09-01 20:15 Raised to T10

     The infrasound of the winds whipping the corners of our tower is actually making me feel a bit whoozy.

   • Embed this notice
     clacke (clacke@libranet.de)'s status on Friday, 01-Sep-2023 22:14:39 JST clacke

     in reply to

     Woah. No, that's not it. It's the building swaying, actually. That's where the quesy feeling is coming from.

     Wow, this is really freaky.

   • Embed this notice
     clacke (clacke@libranet.de)'s status on Friday, 01-Sep-2023 22:15:04 JST clacke

     in reply to

     • chiasm

     @chiasm By now this one is as strong as 2018 Mangkhut. Back then it took half a year to a year for the city to clear all the trees and other debris.

     It took two years to rebuild the seaside promenade in Tseung Kwan O, which was completely wrecked with concrete debris blocking the bike road.

     They rebuilt it stronger and with better affordances for flood water, so presumably it can handle it this year.

   • Embed this notice
     chiasm (chiasm@mastodon.online)'s status on Friday, 01-Sep-2023 22:15:05 JST chiasm

     in reply to

     @clacke hope it passes quickly and the damage can be fixed soon?

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   • Embed this notice
     clacke (clacke@libranet.de)'s status on Saturday, 02-Sep-2023 20:46:49 JST clacke

     in reply to

     I'm on around the 50th floor.

     The swaying calmed down after an hour or so, and so did the noise. Rain will be coming and going for days, but we had a few heavy showers during the T8 tail end of the main storm.

     2023-09-02 03:40 Downgraded to T8

     2023-09-02 18:45 Downgraded to T3, businesses reopening.

     Queue to Genki Sushi was incredibly long, so we're having Vietnamese food for dinner.

   • Embed this notice
     Kermode (gemlog@tilde.zone)'s status on Saturday, 02-Sep-2023 20:46:50 JST Kermode

     in reply to

     @clacke Which floor are you on?

   • Embed this notice
     clacke (clacke@libranet.de)'s status on Saturday, 02-Sep-2023 23:01:12 JST clacke

     in reply to
     20:45 T1
   • Embed this notice
     clacke (clacke@libranet.de)'s status on Sunday, 03-Sep-2023 03:42:43 JST clacke

     in reply to

     • Kermode

     @gemlog This was at home, but sure, the office is at around the 40th floor.

     Looking out the windows, at home or on the office, is not mandatory and definitely not something someone with fear of heights should do all the time. =)

     I peek down occasionally as a form of acclimatization therapy.

   • Embed this notice
     Kermode (gemlog@tilde.zone)'s status on Sunday, 03-Sep-2023 03:42:45 JST Kermode

     in reply to

     @clacke I would not like to be working up there all day in that. I suppose I could just keep clear of the windows. Or perhaps I'd get used to it?
     Frankly, I've always had to force myself to work at much lower heights like ant masts of only 15m or so.

   • Embed this notice
     Kermode (gemlog@tilde.zone)'s status on Sunday, 03-Sep-2023 03:43:59 JST Kermode

     in reply to

     @clacke I don't class it as an actual phobia, but rather a healthy natural fear - it never prevented me from working at heights - or spending many days flying far higher ;-)
     > I peek down occasionally as a form of acclimatization therapy.
     Same then.

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   • Embed this notice
     Kermode (gemlog@tilde.zone)'s status on Sunday, 03-Sep-2023 15:52:26 JST Kermode

     in reply to

     @clacke
     > I'm on around the 50th floor.

     The tallest building in my town has only 5 floors! :-)

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   • Embed this notice
     clacke (clacke@libranet.de)'s status on Sunday, 03-Sep-2023 15:52:26 JST clacke

     in reply to

     • Kermode
     @gemlog In the little town I grew up in Sweden we had up to 8 floors. =)
   • Embed this notice
     Kermode (gemlog@tilde.zone)'s status on Monday, 04-Sep-2023 03:13:27 JST Kermode

     in reply to

     @clacke Ahh! You big city folk! :-)

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   • Embed this notice
     clacke (clacke@libranet.de)'s status on Monday, 04-Sep-2023 03:13:27 JST clacke

     in reply to

     • chiasm
     • Kermode
     • Parker Oilar

     Thank you all for your kind well-wishes.

     It all went well for us personally. At the peak of the storm a window I thought was properly closed was suddenly slammed open by the wind, which was scary and briefly quite chaotic, but nothing was damaged and after fighting the wind for a few seconds I got it closed again.

     As soon as it was down to T3 we took a walk. Walkways and bike lanes were blocked here and there by fallen trees.

     Tonight we took a walk again and all lanes were already clear, any branches and trunks had been cut up and were neatly piled up along the sides.

     Many of the trees still standing are more horizontal than vertical, but many have also already been reinforced with support legs and made to stand vertical again.

     @parkeroilar @mdona @gemlog @chiasm @j12i

   • Embed this notice
     chiasm (chiasm@mastodon.online)'s status on Monday, 04-Sep-2023 03:14:13 JST chiasm

     in reply to

     @clacke

     good, I am glad to hear you made it through ok!! It sounded dramatic!

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   • Embed this notice
     LinuxWalt (@lnxw48a1) {3EB165E0-5BB1-45D2-9E7D-93B31821F864} (lnxw48a1@nu.federati.net)'s status on Tuesday, 05-Sep-2023 15:17:54 JST LinuxWalt (@lnxw48a1) {3EB165E0-5BB1-45D2-9E7D-93B31821F864}

     in reply to
     I'm glad you and your family seem to have made it through Typhoon Saola without injury or damage. It seems to have had less impact than expected, and that's a good thing. https://nu.federati.net/url/291461 [abcnews go com]
   • Embed this notice
     clacke (clacke@libranet.de)'s status on Tuesday, 05-Sep-2023 20:31:32 JST clacke

     in reply to

     @lnxw48a1 Yeah. Even in a T10, most HKers live in private or public high-rise housing and those building can handle a storm like this with no issues. Building codes are good and windows are inspected.

     People in village houses will also be protected well enough, basically the same class of windows as the highrises, but there's a small minority that live in sheds. That can't be easy in a storm like this.

   • Embed this notice
     clacke (clacke@libranet.de)'s status on Tuesday, 05-Sep-2023 20:31:35 JST clacke

     in reply to

     If I would make up numbers based on what I see I'd say we're 45% private highrise, 50% public highrise, 4.9% village houses and < 0.1% (< 9000 people) sheds.

     I'm sure I have a selection bias not visiting remote villages, but more than 10k people in sheds sounds like really a lot though. I think it must be a few thousand at worst.

   • Embed this notice
     clacke (clacke@libranet.de)'s status on Tuesday, 05-Sep-2023 20:31:35 JST clacke

     in reply to
     en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Housing_… says 0.7% "temporary housing", but I'm not sure what that means in terms of storm safety.