Pinoys brace for the worst as ‘Frankenstorm’ approaches US

WASHINGTON – More than 460,000 Filipino-Americans in at least 11 US states that forecasters said would be affected by a “Frankenstorm” spawning winds of up to 75 mph (120 kph) are literally battening down the hatches, stocking up on food, water and medicine.

Like most Americans, they are hoping for the best but preparing for the worst on the eve of what could be the largest storm to hit the United States and affect between 50 and 60 million people.

Mass evacuations have been ordered in coastal areas and states of emergencies have been declared in Washington DC, Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New York, Maine, New Jersey and Connecticut as hurricane Sandy tracked the eastern seaboard.

Sandy is expected to make landfall Monday night or early Tuesday between Washington and New York and its effects are likely to be felt for days.

Thousands of flights have been canceled, bus and train travel are expected to be severely curtailed and prolonged and extensive power failures and floodings are likely.

“We’re asking people to be patient and be ready for a long haul,” said Virginia Gov. Robert McDonnell.

“Frankenstorm” is being compared to the 2000 film “Perfect Storm” which chronicled the fate of a fishing boat caught in the high seas in a confluence of two powerful weather fronts and a hurricane. 

This time, however, the confluence is over land and Sandy, variously described as a hybrid superstorm, a “Frankenstorm” or a behemoth, is expected to cause floods, some as high as 12 inches, and snow when it smacks into the Arctic jet stream. Up to two feet of snow is forecast from West Virginia to Kentucky. 

Damage is expected to be in the hundreds of millions if not billions of dollars, but authorities hope the death toll will be nowhere near the more than 50 people already killed by Sandy in the Caribbean.

The Philippine embassy in Washington has urged Filipino-Americans to brace themselves for “heavy rains, strong winds, power outages, floods, falling trees and flying debris when the hurricane hits land with maximum sustained winds of 75 miles per hour.”

Ambassador Jose Cuisia said the 88 officers and men of the BRP Ramon Alcaraz (PF16), the country’s second high-endurance cutter acquired from the United States, have also been advised by the Office of the Defense and Armed Forces Attaché to prepare. The vessel is currently undergoing refurbishment and refitting in Charleston, South Carolina, which is also in the path of the hurricane.

In a statement, Cuisia advised Filipino-Americans to stock up on food and other emergency provisions and to monitor local media for regular updates.

Nida Villarma said she spent most of Sunday standing in line at supermarkets or hardware stores to buy “emergency food,” flashlights, batteries and candles.

She said emergency food for her meant canned goods such as sardines, spam, corned beef, tuna and the like, “just like what I used to stock up on during typhoon season in the Philippines.”

For Amor Regala, Sunday was spent filling up on gasoline and running errands for her husband Rudy, recovering from a recent quadruple heart bypass. 

The Regalas are luckier than most because they have a generator capable of keeping their lights and fridge on for 24 hours.

Evelyn Bunoan, owner of a Filipino store in Arlington, Virginia said she cooked more than double the amount of food and it all sold out even before noon on Sunday.

“Everyone wanted to stock up,” she said. With Pia Lee-Brago

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