The dorms that we stayed in during the cyclone

Cyclone Part 2

Well we packed up our things and valuables in our duffel bags and packed up our backpacks with clothes and hygiene items then we stored away all the important things in our house.  Then the District President brought the sisters and we put our things and some food in his truck and he brought us up to the school. The wind had picked up by that time.  We all gathered in the dining room and siad a prayer.  Then we called President Brewer and let him know that we were safe.  He said every missionary in Efate (Port Vila) gathered together at the Mission Home.  He told us to text him throughout the night to let him know how we were doing.  He said that the hurricane would most likely be strongest between 7 and 9pm. 

We separated into our dorms.  Me and Elder Jensen played magic and then we sang hymns in the dorms.  We locked all the windows and doors.  There were lots of bunk beds that we could sleep on.  In between 7 and 9pm, the winds never got that bad.  It got late and we slept in the dorm.  It was very hot in there and I couldn't sleep on the bed because I was sweating so much.  So I decided to sleep on the cement floor.  Surprisingly I was able to fall asleep, but only for about 3 hours.  We woke up at 6am to very strong and powerful winds.  We had a shovel and a bucket of water wedged under the door.  The wind got so strong that even with the shovel wedged under the door, the wind was blowing the top corner of the door open.  The strong gusts of wind would blow the door open.  Then heavy rain accompanied with the strong wind and then water started coming underneath the doors and flooding the dorms.  The wind continued to get stronger and a few wooden windows were blowing open.  A papa and his kids were staying in the dorms as well and that papa had some nails and we got a stone and nailed the door shut.  Then we nailed the windows shut.  The wind wouldn't let up and it felt very dangerous in our dorm.  We became very worried about the sisters in the other dorm.

We opened one of the windows to see the wind blow and it was very powerful.  Roofs were blowing off of houses, water tanks were getting blown around, trees and branches were snapping like twigs.  We gathered together and came to the conclusion that it would be best to all go to the sisters dorm because it was most lilely a little more blocked by the wind and it is better that we all stick together.  So we said a prayers and we ran to the sisters dorm.  Me and Elder Jensen were the last to fun out and once we started running south towards their dorm the wind was pushing us.  Elder Jensen got pushed a good 20 feet while just standing.  I got pushed and the wind lifted me up off the ground and threw me forward a few feet.  I recovered quickly and we got in the dorm safely.  To our surprise everyone was alright.  The sisters were fine and nobody got hit by any debris while running to sisters dorm.   I've never felt so much powerful wind before.  We stayed inside once we got to their dorm. 

We ate crackers, and tin beef and pork for lunch.  Then a few other people came to take shelter.  We were surprised because we had warned many people about the storm, but very few people believed that the storm would hit Tanna.  William came to check on us and he said that many people would come to sleep at the dorms because their housed were destroyed.  So all of us helped him clean up the dorms and rearrange all the beds for people to sleep in.  He let us have a full room to ourselves to stay at the dorm. 

Cleaning up the flooded dorms