I shall never forget those terrible days when it rained heavily, and it seemed there was never going to be an end to the downpour. I kept thinking of ancient times, and of myths and stories about great floods. It seemed as if we were all to be wiped out of existence.

Everyone said it had not rained like this for many, many years. The rain continued unabated. The rivers were swollen by now, all of them having overflowed their banks. Thousands of people were rendered homeless, and still, there was no sign of the deluge coming to an end.

The first reaction to the rain was a wild one. Everyone thought it would soon stop. After all, our area did see a lot of rainfall each year — so what was there to worry about? But there were no breaks, no flecks of sunshine and the heavy downpour resembled nothing we had ever seen before.

Was this a punishment for some lapses, some sins, some failures? Prayers were of no avail — the rain continued. By the fifth day, life had become very difficult.

No movement was possible except by boat. The ground floor of every house in our town had become uninhabitable. People clustered together in safer places, on higher ground. At first, there were attempts to salvage belongings, but soon those efforts were abandoned as everyone scrambled for dear life. Normal life became a distant memory — no milk, no regular meals, no vegetables and no communication with the outside world. No telephone links, no newspapers, nothing at all.

By now, dead animals floated in the streets and there was no uncontaminated drinking water. A few houses collapsed, resulting in loss of life. Food was airdropped on one or two occasions, but the continued bad weather hindered such aid as well. Poor people who depended on daily earnings were starving. They had no food, no shelter and no means of survival.

The heavily laden skies seemed to have shed much of their burden, and by the seventh day, the sky appeared a little lighter. Gradually, it began to clear up and people heaved sighs of relief. The rain stopped and the level of floodwater started to recede. It became possible for rescue teams to arrive and for food parcels to be airdropped. People were rescued from the oddest of places — hovering between life and death, sitting in tiny spaces, sometimes on treetops and mostly without food. Their limbs were cramped and their bodies weak.

Outbreaks of diseases were imminent, and the authorities called for volunteer medical teams. Non-government organisations also organised rescue and relief work, and some arrived from neighbouring areas. Inoculations were given, but an epidemic still broke out, claiming many lives before it was finally brought under control — an achievement in itself.

As most calamities come and recede, so did this one. The town slowly crawled back to normal. Many lives had been lost, and much property destroyed. It took time to repair the damage done to structures, roads and communication lines, but human effort is capable of anything — and it proved resilient enough to recover from the disaster.

This experience taught me that no matter how dark the skies get, hope and teamwork can help one survive even the worst of storms.

Published in Dawn, Young World, October 11th, 2025