Typhoon Rai in the Philippines also hit a Finnish guesthouse
Surigao Dream guesthouse in good weather, photographed while still under construction. Photo: Aleksi Katajala
The Finnish guesthouse Surigao Dream is located in the middle of the area hit by Tropical Storm Rai in the Philippines on Thursday, December 16, 2021. The storm hit the Surigao region and Siargao Island with full Category 5 strength. In the Philippines, Storm Rai is called Odette.
The storm first and with its greatest force hit Siargao and then via Dinagat to Surigao. From there, the storm continued its journey through the Philippines, causing major damage on the islands of Bohol and Cebu, for example.
The force of the storm is illustrated by a video showing four trucks in a row overturning on their side.
Now, on January 31, 2021, almost two weeks after the storm, power is still out, at least in Surigao. Internet access is only available in some places.
How has the Finnish guesthouse fared?
Here on the Once in a Life website, concerns about the storm's damage have also been linked to the fate of a Finnish inn and its owner, Aleksi. Our blogger Antti Helin, aka Paratiisireporteri, has been writing regularly about the inn owned by his friends.
It took several days before we could get in touch with Aleksi. Fortunately, Aleksi and our employee are mostly fine. Aleksi did get deep cuts on his palms from the broken windows and had to walk to the hospital overnight to get stitches. His hands are still in a bandage.
"This is my third time being quilted. I still can't even wipe my butt," she says.(feminine)
The guesthouse also suffered damage, as did almost all the buildings in the area. Some of the roofs of the beach villas came off, the glass doors on the front walls were shattered, and the giant waves swept away swimmers. Entirely.
Rebuilding will be expensive, but we will start as soon as we can buy a generator somewhere to use and charge our construction tools. The power is still out and generators are running out for who knows how far away.
The concern about the Finnish guesthouse is of course exaggerated in that the most disadvantaged people are the ones who suffer the most from the storm. Their houses are usually the weakest built and suffer the most damage. They have the hardest time finding money to rebuild.
Cities are also threatened by food and water shortages. The guesthouse does not have the same problem, as it is located in a natural setting, half an hour from Siargao town. A clean stream flows down from the jungle next to it.
In the eye of the storm
Before the worst storm hit, I sent Aleksi a message: "It's starting to get pretty stormy. I've never seen anything like this before. Nature is just amazing."
Then the connections were lost and the storm hit with full force. Aleksi says he was injured when he tried to go inside his bungalow to get his valuables to safety. The waves crashed in and threw him onto the floor among the broken glass.
When he got out of the beach villa, the wind threw him to the ground. He eventually took shelter in the resort's main building.
"There would have been no way out after that. The wind was as strong as in those flight tunnels where you fly with just air. Or actually stronger. After all, you stay in place in them. This storm wind would have taken you with it. It even knocked the trucks over on their sides, with all the containers," Aleksi says now after the storm.
The last time a similar storm was seen in Surigao was in 1984. Surigao Dream has weathered all smaller storms with ease. The assumption is that a storm of this size will not be seen for a long time.
“No one would be able to live here otherwise,” Aleksi says.
Surigao Dream will reopen in June 2022. Welcome to the Philippines as our guest to support our hotel and local residents in their recovery from the storm.
