Chennai Floods

Chennai Floods

Bengaluru, 04 December 2015

I managed to establish contact with a couple of friends in Chennai and what they told me is not very encouraging.

The rain seems to have abated and the flood waters have started receding. People are now able to move around a bit. They are able to move to places which have power supply and are able to charge their mobile phones, pick up some essentials like bread and drinking water and make contact with their friends and families.

For the last three days they were without power, drinking water, even water for cleaning and toilet use. They were not even able to move out of their houses. They were not able to communicate with the outside world because power supply was cut, cell phone towers were down and nothing was functioning. In many areas the entire ground floors were under water. They tell me that the flood waters started gushing in all of a sudden and in a matter of less than an hour they found themselves neck deep in water. They only just had time to evacuate to upper floors. Many families are holed up in some upper floor in just the clothes they were wearing.

I hear that power is being restored in phases but there are many areas which are still dark. There is no communication from my friends and relatives in those areas and their phones are not reachable. I can only hope and pray that everyone is safe. I read somewhere that many people were forced to leave their pets behind because they could not be accommodated in the boats and rescue vehicles. I cannot believe this but I hope these poor animals are also safe.

When the flood waters recede fully and they are able to move back into their homes, they will know the full extent of the damage caused by this unexpected calamity. They are afraid that nothing will be salvageable. Household equipment, furniture, electronic gadgets, books, clothes, stocks of rations, everything would have been destroyed or damaged beyond repair. The buildings themselves have to be checked for damages to the structures and electrical wiring. Then will start the painful process of cleaning up and assessing the total loss to each and every structure and each and every family.

The fate of businesses is similar. Showrooms, offices and other business establishments have been inundated. Stocks have been washed away or irreparably damaged. They have to re-build from scratch. Small businessmen and tradesmen will be most badly affected. Those whose properties are not insured will not be able to recover anything.

In all this tragedy, what stood out bright and shining was the effort put in by the armed forces, para-military forces, small groups of volunteers and most of all the common citizens who worked selflessly to save many people and bring them to safety. Many groups from nearby cities are working tirelessly to gather and rush supplies of essential goods like packaged drinking water, bread, biscuits, dry chapaties, battery packs, etc. to Chennai. They are co-ordinating with groups stationed in Chennai to collect and distribute these essentials. Software professionals are coming out with innovative ideas to connect with people and guiding the rescue forces to rush help where it is required. Doctors and nurses are working round the clock to provide medical assistance. Able bodied men and women are pitching in to help people move to safer areas. Hotels, schools, theatres and many private establishments have thrown their doors open to anyone who needs shelter. We salute all these noble men and women.

I am told that the government disaster relief machinery is up and running, though no one has spoken up for them so far. The central government has already announced two slabs of relief amounting to almost Rs. 2000 Crores. While this may not be enough, at least the various agencies involved in rescue and rehabilitation will not be starved of immediate funds to keep the momentum of the relief work going.

The enormity of this catastrophe is mind-boggling. We can only hope and pray that the citizens of Chennai, known for their resilience, will get back on their feet, slowly perhaps, but surely.

And lastly, one particular category of people who usually come up to the front when it is time to be seen and heard, are strangely silent this time, so far. Perhaps prudently. Perhaps they are also working silently to help in the relief operations. Or is there any connection to the rumours of crocodiles having escaped from the Crocodile Park?