I Asked for Rain, Not a Cyclone!

On our way to Parambikulam, we happened to give ride to a Tamil Nadu forest ranger working in Top Slip. Mr. P was so taken in by the forest and the proximity to nature that he actually asked the ranger if there were any job opportunities and what the age limit was to apply. I know he really really wanted to hear 50, but the answer was 32 or 35. You should have seen the wave of disappointment that washed over his face. Poor guy. Later on, not to miss out on a chance, he also asked our guide at Parambikulam, and received the same answer. Eventually, the stay, the hike, and the elephant sightings at Top Slip might have reduced the pain a bit.

Anyway, we went from the real jungle to our very own concrete jungle where a ferocious beast was making its way towards us. Did anyone make a guess yet? It was Cyclone Michaung! We reached Madras on Friday and spent Saturday finishing up some family visits. The meteorologists warning that a cyclone was coming and that it was going to be bad. To be honest, we did not pay much heed, because in our heads it was just going to be some heavy rains and that’s it. On Sunday, December 3rd, we went shopping in the afternoon, by which time there were a few heavy spells, but it was still not continuous. After we finished shopping, my brother-in-law went to work (at the Chennai International Airport), we dropped off my sister-in-law at home and my MIL, Mr. P, our nephew, and I went to my place. As we settled in for the night, the winds started picking up and the rain got heavier… we were still not fazed. My parents had kept some candles and lamps ready, and we had charged all our phones, so when the power went off, we were still OK. Heavy winds and incessant rains lashed the city on Monday and by afternoon we received a photo from my sister-in-law, showing the water level rising outside her apartment. There was water halfway up the wall. As the day passed, the rains showed no signs of slowing down and the water level kept rising there. By Tuesday morning, the entire wall and the front gate were submerged and there was easily about 7 feet of water on the street and there was literally no way in or out.

We were relatively safer, on the third floor and the water levels outside my place weren’t too alarming. The watchman and his family were having a tough time though, because the usual areas that they occupied were all wet and cold. That morning, my sister-in-law messaged saying that water had entered the ground floor homes and that the occupants were shifting to our apartment. In a way it was good that she was there; otherwise, our neighbors wouldn’t have had any place to go. And one of them had a 5-month-old baby. We were also a bit relieved that she was no longer alone. Now the main concern was power and availability of water (the motor had not been run for almost 24 hours).

The wind kept howling throughout Monday and it was good because it helped us stay cool… We aren’t like some other Madrasis (read my mom), who start feeling cold when the temperature drops to the 20s. But the winds stopped abruptly at about 3 AM and a swarm of mosquitos decided to attack. we had to say good bye to our sleep for that night. Tuesday morning, however, was a beautiful day; there was absolutely no sign of Cyclone Michaung, we could hear sounds of traffic, and by that evening, people (including us) were venturing out into the streets, looking for essentials such as bread, milk, and yogurt, etc. Not much was to be found. We walked through ankle-deep water, saw some neighboring streets with knee-high water and fallen trees, and came home feeling glad that we were in better shape. The situation with my sister-in-law was stable too, at least the water hadn’t risen since the rains had ceased. And the power was restored in our area, after 37 hours! Amazingly, our water supply lasted for 30+ hours too; I was impressed at the way everyone used water with such restraints, taking into account 8 apartments. As soon as the power was restored, the motor was turned on (with a lot of apprehension because the motor was wet) and the tank was refilled. The next morning though, the motor conked off and had to be replaced.

Now came our next concern; we had to leave for Bangalore on Thursday and all of Mr. P’s and his mother’s things were inside the water-logged apartment building. That’s when we heard that Mr. P’s brother who had been stuck at the airport since Sunday, had found a way to jump over the back wall of the complex and enter. We waited till Wednesday afternoon to see how things would improve, but the water had not gone down much. While we were discussing ideas of how to get the people and things out, our watchman’s wife gave a suggestion. She recommended taking her son (and his motorbike) and get all the luggage out. We all felt that it was a brilliant idea and decided to act on it. My father and I stayed in the car, at the beginning of a street where there was more than knee-high water, Mr P, his nephew, and the watchman’s son waded through the water, jumped the wall, went in, got all the luggage, picked up things that his mother needed for the trip, and came out with my brother-in-law and his wife too. It was definitely a sight to see. While waiting for them to come, I was watching many other people wade through or ride through the water in their two-wheelers. One such lady caught my eye, because she approached the water quite fast, with a person riding behind her, and went straight in without hesitating for even a second. This was in contrast to many others who braked, slowed down, and made their way through slowly. This girl, however, kept her speed till she covered about half the distance, after which she lost balance and had to finally slow down and put her feet down too. She came back after about 15 minutes, this time rolling the scooter instead of riding it. She definitely underestimated the level of the water on that street.

Even before leaving from here, we had kept a day aside to go shopping and generally roam around our favorite city, but the rain literally washed out all our plans. On the other hand though, we got unplanned quality time with the entire family: on Wednesday night all eight of us reunited after the Parambikulam trip. It meant additional work for my mother and the maid, but at least we were all together. I am grateful that our maid was able to come, amidst all this chaos. Our train to Bangalore was for Thursday afternoon, and at around midnight I called the railways information line to check the train’s status (because we heard that many trains had been canceled). Our train had been canceled too, and we had not received any notification about it. Mr. P started looking for alternate trains and finally booked new tickets at 2 AM. By 9 in the morning, he received a refund and a message that the train had been canceled. We were now running out of options but somehow had to travel to Bangalore that day. The road seemed to be the only way out and a relative suggested ride share Apps such as Uber and Ola, and surprisingly their rates were almost half of what some traditional taxi companies had quoted. We booked a car through Ola and left at about 4:30 PM. The ride was comfortable, we took a couple of stops and finally reached Mr. P’s cousin’s place at 1 AM. Right on time to celebrate their anniversary (yes we ate pastries at 1:30 AM).

We had a slow start to the morning, had some cousins come over to see us, went out for lunch, and finally, it was time for me to get to the next destination… my cousin’s wedding. I took an Uber and left for her place, while the others stayed back for the night and joined me the next morning.

Both Mr. P and I are Madrasis to the core, him more than me… but in all these years, we have not seen such heavy rains and massive flooding. We had only heard about and seen photographs of the 2015 floods, but this time’s was worse according to the meteorologists.

When the rain started on Sunday, I posted a picture on Instagram saying that the rains were special for us rain-deprived Californians. I think the rain gods took it as a challenge to show us what they can actually do! In retrospect though, I am so grateful that we had the resources that we had and the good luck to be safe, while so many others suffered. Another thing I am happy about is that the city itself bounced back into action so quickly, even though there was devastation in so many parts. Here’s hoping that the Chennai city administrators do something about the city’s infrastructure, to reduce the impact of such floods that are now becoming an annual occurrence.

Two adventures down… do you think there are more left in our vacation? Wait for Part 3 :).