I don’t think November and December of 2015 are going to be two months that I forget for the rest of my life. Every year in Chennai, the Northeast Monsoon (NEM) pours rain all over the city. When I first arrived in Chennai in 2008, I remember that like clockwork the rains would come during the night and then clear up by morning. The last few years, the rains have been erratic and last year it was as if the NEM didn’t even happen.
The consequence of the failed monsoon in 2014 made its presence felt in the middle of 2015, when water wells began to dry up and water from the taps stopped running throughout the day. For the first time I was experiencing water rationing where the water would be turned on for a couple of hours in the morning, and it was a race to get everything you needed to get done in that short amount of time. We live in the centre of the city so for us to face a water shortage was unusual, but for the people living further out of the city, life became intolerable as the daily routine revolved around whether the water tankers would turn up or not.
And so it Began
On 9th November, we returned to Chennai from a trip to Australia. We left what Mashable described as an Apocalyptic Storm that hit Sydney (we happened to be up the tallest building in Sydney when it hit), and arrived to Chennai’s own apocalyptic storm.
Getting anywhere from the Chennai airport is a challenge at the best of times. The nearest railway station is more than half a kilometer walk away, there is no taxi stand with orderly queuing, you have to cross the main pickup road which is teeming with cars to get to the car park, and there is no sign post pointing you to the bus stop (is there even a bus stop?!).
In a sign of things to come, we landed on a Sunday evening when it was pouring with rain. There were no taxis available, not even the Government taxis. It was so late in the night that even the suburban trains would have stopped running so there was no obvious way to get back home. Eventually, the state controlled taxi stand offered to drop us home if we agreed to share the taxi with other passengers. There was very little choice, so we all piled into the car.
From that evening when we landed at Chennai, it was the start of three very long, very tough weeks. The city was inundated with rain. For those of us lucky enough to be able to work from home, we did. Some days were better than others, we managed to get to the office, we even managed to have a few nights out on the town. However, the rains were always ready to make a reappearance.
The Floods Begin
Then there was another problem. The reservoirs outside the city, the reservoirs that just a month ago were as dry as a bone, were almost full to capacity. With more inflows expected, the Government had to order the release of water, which would feed into an already swollen Adyar river. The impact of this on the neighbourhoods that lined the river was worse than the rains. The flood waters spared nothing, inundating or even submerging homes, vehicles and temples.
After a weekend of non-stop rain, the weather had cleared up enough to be able to go to the office. On the morning of the 17th, I went by car down my usual route, which takes me over the Adyar river. I could see it had broken its banks and inundated the low lying areas. People were standing on the roof terraces just looking down in disbelief at the river that their homes now stood in. Thankfully it didn’t last for too long and by the end of the week we were all up and running again.
November 23rd – That’s a Lot of Rain
The last week of November was as bad as we thought it could get. It began innocuously enough with overcast skies on the 23rd November, but no rain. There had been light showers all weekend but we were still all able to make it to the office. Around 2pm it started drizzling again but forecasts, all forecasts, didn’t predict much rain. We knew it was going to be tough to get home but none could have foreseen the scenario that was about to follow.
We had hoped that the rain would clear up. These showers are common during the NEM and last for an hour or two at the most. By 6pm we realized that we needed to get home, raining or not. For some of us, it meant catching the train along the elevated tracks, for others it was a 90 minute bus ride even in good conditions, or a car ride home.
I personally take the train in the evening. There’s no quicker way to get around the city and the amount of people that spill out of the IT parks means you can be sitting in traffic for ages. At the Mandavelli station where I get off, I normally take an Uber cab back home, but the non-stop rain meant that most drivers were staying off the roads. If their car gets damaged, they have to pay for it out of their own pockets, so why would they risk 10,000 rupees of damage for a ride that will net a few hundred rupees?
I flagged down an auto and he asked for 200 rupees to get to Nungambakkam – twice what I would pay for an air conditioned Uber taxi. It had been raining since 2pm and only getting heavier, so I knew the roads were likely to be flooded. What I didn’t know was just how flooded the roads were. Water covered even the main arterial roads. The side streets were even worse with six inches of water flowing through them. Social media was buzzing with people complaining about the rains. It was only 7pm but the entire city from North to South had come to a standstill. Junctions were gridlocked. Everything was stuck, even ambulances couldn’t get through. The city ground to a halt. There was nowhere for cars to go.
There was nowhere for me to go.
Or was there?
Waiting for it to All Blow Over
Inspired by Simon Pegg in Shaun of the Dead, I realized the safest place to be was sat in a bar with a pint of beer, and hold tight until the whole thing blew over. I called up my wife and explained the situation, throwing in a few words like ‘hopeless’, ‘peril’ and ‘doomed’. Luckily, my wife is awesome and she agreed that the safest place for me at that moment was at a bar. Even more luckily, the auto was right outside a five star hotel, so I was able to hop out and send the driver on his merry way. Or at least he could have been on his merry way if the traffic was actually moving.
The bar itself was empty. Clearly no one else in Chennai had seen Shaun of the Dead or knew about this apocalypse survival technique. The whole plan had come together perfectly. The bar had beer on tap, burgers on the menu and football on the big screen TV. I texted my wife to let her know that I was safe from peril.
I then set about Whatsapping all my colleagues who were trapped inside their vehicles around various parts of the city. I let them know that I had found a safe place at the bar and that they should come and join me. Surprisingly they weren’t too happy that I was sending them photos of my safe house.
bar was so empty that the bar manager rounded up all his staff, and they set about learning how to make new cocktails. Now I don’t want to insinuate that all these drinks were for me, but there was no other customer in the bar. Just sayin’.
Unfortunately, many of my colleagues, and indeed tens of thousands of other people in the city, had it far worse than me. Some were still in their car four hours after leaving the office. Some didn’t even make it home and had to stay with friends. Information was being shared on social media about the condition of roads, it felt like the city was coming together to get the working population home.
The rain didn’t stop.
For days the rain came. We were all marooned in our little castles in the sky. It was kinda fun. We were all checking up on one another and getting on with our work from home. Our internet was out and we were surviving on tethered 3G connections. Thankfully the power remained with only a few intermittent cuts. Tuesday rolled into Wednesday before the rain finally fizzled out and we could return to the office again.
For the remainder of the week there was the odd shower but we believed that things were getting back to normal. We even went out bar hopping on the Friday! There were murmurings on the weather sites of heavy rains that would hit over the weekend and plans to see Spectre at the new IMAX were cancelled. Of course, when heavy rains are predicted, the NEM tends to do the exact opposite and it was clear skies all weekend.
30th November – Run, You Fools
The 30th November started like the Monday before. Bright but overcast. People were complaining that they had cancelled so many plans because of the reports of the crazy rains which never materialized. At 3pm, the drizzles started again. Fresh from the horror commute (or in my case, being stuck in a bar for three hours) of the previous week, we fled from the office like rats fleeing a sinking ship.
It was a good call, too. The rains got heavier and heavier and once again, the entire city was pounded throughout the night. Areas that were flooded from the previous week still hadn’t recovered. In the south of the city, the groundwater was so high that the water had no way to percolate into the soil.
It was the south of the city that took the brunt of the deluge as well. Overnight, the lakes that surround the city, already full from the past month of rain, burst through dams and dykes, completely flooding entire neighbourhoods. Many areas of southern Chennai are built over lakes that had been filled in. With the water having nowhere else to flow, it gathered and spread amongst the low lying neighbourhoods. The storm water drains were rendered ineffective because they drained into the Adyar and Cooum rivers, and Buckingham canal, all of which were flooded. The water literally had nowhere to go.
The rain didn’t stop.
As Tuesday morning broke, there was no let up in the rain. For hours it came down. Sometimes hard, sometimes light, but never stopping. As the severity of the floods became clear, the conversation between everyone turned from light hearted to more serious. Suddenly there were friends or relatives that were trapped in their apartments. Over the course of the day, the power to various neighbourhoods either failed or was switched off as a safety precaution – fallen power lines electrocute far too many people in India. The southern part of the city spent most of Tuesday without power.
Chennai Begins to Sink
There was worse to come. Even more water needed to be released from the reservoirs – more than had been released the previous week. Had they not released the water, I’m sure the potential destruction would have been even greater. With lakes and rivers already overflowing, Chennai’s fate was truly sealed. Areas that had never experienced flooding before were suddenly under water. In the houses and apartments bordering the lakes and rivers, the ground floors were once again submerged, but this time even first floor apartments were in danger. Some were even stranded on the terrace roof of their homes.
The rain didn’t stop.
By Tuesday evening, Nungambakkam had miraculously had power for the whole day – I even took conference calls with my boss in New York. “It’s bad, but we’re fine.” I had told him. We even had broadband at that point. A few people from the southern part of the city were posting on Facebook that they were marooned in their homes, apartments were flooded, power had been out and even the mobile networks were beginning to fail. It was disturbing but it seemed localized. The Government rescue teams would help them. As the rains finally eased off we went to sleep.
1st December – The Citizen Rescue Force is Mobilized
On Wednesday it was becoming clear how much the city had suffered over the last couple of days. What had been a few requests for assistance the day before, turned into a never ending stream of desperate cries for help. Snakes from nearby waterbodies invaded homes and were forcing people to seek shelter in stairwells, elderly people were running low on essential medicine or oxygen, pregnant ladies were going into labour, hundreds of orphans were stranded without food and drinking water, students in hostels were without power or any means to reach the outside world, hospitals were running out of food to feed their patients. Entire neighbourhoods were cut off. The only way to reach them was by boat – not something that is available or readily transportable through the flooded city streets.
Aghast, we watched the thousands of desperate pleas for help fill our Facebook and Twitter feeds. A feeling of hopelessness came over us. There was nothing we could do but read the ever more frantic rescue requests. But by mid-morning the power finally spluttered and died in our area. A couple of hours later, the mobile networks shut down.
We were going dark.
However, compared to hundreds of thousands of people in the city, we were the lucky ones. We had already stocked up on food in the morning and pre-cooked all our meals along with ensuring we had plenty of drinking water.
Wednesday was a tragic day for a city that was beaten black and blue over the last month. It was also a truly inspiring day for its citizens. While the Government rescue teams used boats and helicopters to rescue people from the worst affected areas, the people of the city mobilized themselves as an unofficial, unsanctioned civilian rescue force. There were tens, if not hundreds of thousands of people that had spent all of Tuesday without power. Food and drinkable water were running low and flood waters were still rising. Although they weren’t in immediate danger, you can only imagine the terrible hardships they were going through. A mother unable to give her daughter a drink of water, a father unable to find out if his son is OK.
With the prospect of these people being stranded for a second day and with the likely scenario of people running out of food and drinking water, the citizens of Chennai swung into action.
Chennai’s Citizens Rescue Themselves
Armed with social media, Whatsapp and Google Docs, thousands of people organized relief efforts across the city. Those that had access to boats or all terrain SUVs made sure people knew how to contact them, online spreadsheets were set up where hundreds of people opened up their homes to any and all that needed it. Many people cooked everything they had and went out on foot, on bikes and in cars to distribute food and water to any one that needed it. People from other countries that had families and friends living in Chennai sought news about their loved ones, and through the social fabric that weaves the people of India together, news and updates were given. Strangers were topping up pre-paid phones of any one that had run out of balance. Some were offering to pay for all medical expenses of any woman that went into labour during this crisis – regardless of the hospital. Others let people know that if they needed money (all the ATMs had shut down), they could help out. Whatever help could be offered, was.
Back in my own country, people talk about the spirit of the Londoners during the Blitz. In the face of so much unimaginable adversity, everyone pulled together and looked out for everyone else. It’s an incredible story of humanity and cooperation. However, it would be narrow-minded and even arrogant to assume that this spirit is limited only to the British. I believe it’s a spirit that is possessed by every human, the desire to do something, to make a difference, to help in any way.
About a week ago my wife posted a very poignant blog post asking: Where is the love? The Paris attacks had just happened, there was another massacre in the US, the Middle East is just a quagmire of misery, refugees fleeing Syria are clinging to life by the smallest of threads – it’s a fair question. Where is the love?
Well, I found it.
It’s right here in Chennai. In every one of its citizens that went out to do something. Made a difference. Helped in even the smallest of ways.
The ones that opened their homes to those from all walks of life. The ones that shared critical information. The ones that checked on strangers after seeing a request on Facebook. The ones that donated to the relief efforts. The ones that waded through water to distribute food and supplies. The ones that brought the street dogs into their homes. The ones that set up websites, Facebook groups, Whatsapp groups, spreadsheets and maps to help disseminate vital information. The businesses that opened their doors to help people. The ones that were there providing company to those that needed it.
Rescued 3 dogs due to #chennairains at Guduvanchery. Please don’t forget them! #SaveAnimalsInNeed cc: @BlueCross_ pic.twitter.com/BWScm0t6nr
— Vinay (@iVinay) December 1, 2015
@sampath_karthik @splatha0825 @mylittlethought @mithelesh @rawatpankaj Unkown ppl formed a team, recharged 1000+nos in 3 days #chennairains
— Ashwin ram (@Ashwinram14) December 3, 2015
Phoenix Marketcity’s doors are open for anyone who seeks shelter in this difficult time. #ChennaiRainsHelp #ChennaiRains #PrayForChennai
— Phoenix Marketcity (@pmcchennai) December 1, 2015
There’s a lot of love left in this world. In the face of adversity, is when humanity can shine its brightest. Let’s not forget it.
Get well soon, Chennai.
Note: Photos gathered from around the Internet or shamelessly stolen from my friends that shared their photos on Whatsapp. Some were even taken by me.
A very moving account. I live in Kolkata, and remember several terrible floods here. At present I have relatives in Chennai, and have spent hours worrying about them. Yes. It is heart-lifting to realize that in spite of everything humanity and goodness and love have survived.
Thanks for comment, Indrani. I’m completely bowled over by the love and compassion shown by the people of the city. It’s the citizens all pitching in and helping themselves. I’ve even heard stories that in some areas there’s now too much food as so many people have brought stuff. The thing that is needed now is blankets, water and anti-biotics.
Well put and very apt. Love does exist. I just hope we remember that each day. Adversity brought out the best in humanity. I just hope normalcy doesn’t make us forget it.
Thanks, Nikhil! I also hope that we remember the way everyone put all differences aside and came together to help each other. It’s a really inspiring story.
Its great you wrote this article but just curious how you helped the city during these turbulent times? Were you able to give food or provide for the needy in your own home? I see many times that journos are writing about the issue but never really involved in the impact or finding the solutions given they have mass amounts of reach. Please stress on that.
Hey Harvinder, thanks for stopping by, I can’t believe how far and wide this story has travelled! Just to clarify, I’m certainly no journalist I’m a normal guy working in one of the IT parks in Chennai. We are helping out where we can with supplies and donations, as is everyone who is able to in the city. I’ve heard reports that so much support has come forward that in some places there is too much food. What’s required now is things like blankets, drinking water and medical supplies.
If you want to get involved to help out, my colleagues have organized a fund raiser in the US, you can donate money here:
Donate money to Chennai flood relief from the US
If you are in the UK, you can help out by donating here:
Donate money to Chennai flood relief from the UK
If you are in India, you can help by donating here:
Donate money to Chennai flood relief from India
If you want to help the animals in Chennai that have also suffered immensely, you can help by donating to Blue Cross. Details on how to donate.
Thanks again for stopping by, please let others know about what’s happening in Chennai!
Cheers,
Peter
Spoken n aptly written.. It looks like we were dying to see some humanity, it came in the disguise of rains. As I sweated n worried anxiously n endlessly about my family.. But u written my mind n thoughts
Looking forward 4 more articles Peter 👍👍👍👍👌
Get well soon Namma Chennai!!
Thanks, Prakash! I’m sure Chennai and its people are going to bounce right back stronger than ever 🙂
A compelling saga in real life of human values and selflessness rising in the midst of adversity. I am proud of the people of Chennai and other parts of India, from all walks of life, who came together in this crisis. The story needed to be told and carried all over, it is so very encouraging. Especially from an objective point of view. I live in Bangalore and would like to tell you that thousands of people and scores of organisations here too have rallied round to support Chennaiites in their hour of need. A shining example of reaching out to our brethren in distress. A well documented Article, thank you Peter Claridge.
Hey Vijay, yes, we definitely can’t forget about the way the whole of India has rallied to help the people of Chennai and other areas like Cuddalore that have been badly affected. I’ve seen on my Facebook people from all over the country arranging to send trucks with supplies. It’s so inspiring!
Thanks Peter for making my day. I am a Chennaite but have been away for more than 20 years. It’s great to see that the humanitarian spirit of Chennaites is still alive and kicking . Despite the toll on themselves , it’s great to hear such heart wrenching stories . May your tribe grow. Thanks for the links on how we could help.
Binu
Hi Binu, I’m so happy that this little personal account is finding so many readers and getting the message of hope spread far and wide. We stopped at a relief centre today and they have plenty of food and masses of crates of water ready to be dispatched to various places. The need of the hour now is blankets, clothing, women’s underwear, sanitary items, mosquito repellents and candles.
Peter
Thanks for the excellent post which I have shared. My family and friends abroad especially will appreciate the magnitude of the disaster.
Hi Shakuntala, I’m so glad that this personal account is reaching so many people. As we went out and about in the city today, you and tell it is still reeling but getting on its feet. The relief operations both official and citizen driven are now getting into full swing. From what I hear, the big challenge is distribution now that most of the easier to access areas have been tended to, it’s the further flung parts of the city that need assistance.
Yes Peter, the far flung parts of Chennai certainly need assistance. I’m an occupational health physician who works for a company in these parts; was grounded for a week and have resumed my 80 km commute to muck out the dispensary with my health care team, assess the damage and we are trying to pick ourselves up as best as we can. Much of our contract work force come from areas neighboring the plant…their homes have been washed away with all they ever possessed…yet they are back at work to earn their living. I am so grateful to be able to do my bit……treating ailments,Tetanus and Leptospirosis prophylaxis and counselling among other things. Disasters are great levelers and it takes just one like the recent floods to put things in perspective. I’m proud of my fellow chennaiites! Thanks once again Peter for the great post…my family abroad got a good idea of the ordeal that especially the flood survivors had to face.
Well explained the situation starting from the day. I was in Chennai for 3 years and grown up spiritually and professionally. I was very happy to see that humanity still exist . love for the unknown people..helping each other..Chennai set an example to other cities working together at the time of crisis to get rid of the situation. Kudos to Chennai…
Kudos indeed! To see the way the people I work with on a daily basis, people I’ve known for years, with no rallying call, no official organization, have dropped everything to rush out with supplies and aid, just wow.
Very nice post… I am half Chennai… My entire family except for my parents brother are in Chennai. All my life, every year we visit Chennai almst every month… My husband was born and brought up in Chennai..we got married in Chennai… Despite all that…I never liked Chennai..conservative, unfriendly people and unpredictable hot and very hot weather…i had so many issues with Chennai…( irony married to a Tamilian!) But after this…seeing the way everyone came together during this time to help in so many, many ways….it just makes me so proud that Chennai is now my home and will be for the rest of y life… Your article beautifully sums up this awesome city and its very wonderful people… Nicely written!
Haha, agreed! I can proudly tell everyone that I live in Chennai, the city with the kindest, most compassionate, most giving people that you’ll ever meet 🙂 and I have so much proof to back that up with!
Brilliant article mate!!!
These are stories that highlight’s the good things happening in the country and chennai has always been a front runner. Sadly the Indian media doesn’t portray that.
Anyways welcome to Chennai and I wish you have more fond memories of the city.
Cheers,
Prem
Thanks for stopping by, Prem and so happy that you liked this story/article! As much negativity as you might find in the media I think (hope!) the stories we’ve all shared on Facebook about the inspirational actions of Chennai’s people – and people all over India – counteract any negativity any of the media might have portrayed about this disaster.
Cheers,
Peter
Peter, Your write up is superb and well documented with photographs. It was a pleasure to read and I can relate better because I was also marooned in my own house in the heart of the city for almost six days. We managed though though and were more fortunate than many many others.
Can you please mail me the article as i have whole bunch of batchmates abroad , all from Chennai who will really appreciate this fantastic article.
Thanks a bunch Peter – You made my day !
Wow, what part of Chennai were you in? We felt so lucky that we were not affected as much as other areas, but that was wrapped up in a layer of guilt that we had got so lucky.
Thanks for this nice writeup – “A British Expat Living in India”. I am an Chennaite living in US, and never felt more than now that I have to be there right now.
The citizens of Chennai are doing a marvelous job! The call is going out now for volunteers who can help at the relief centres to sort and pack supplies, help cook food etc.
Hi Peter,
Such a wonderful blog, my heart welled up with your accounts. I am a Chennaite and have been living in Canada for the last 8 years and visit every year. Chennai is always known to be conservative but whenever I made an acquaintance they always invited me home for coffee, even if they knew me only for 5 mins. My heart wells up to see such a wonderful account of the spirit of humanity. The world needs this spirit more than ever now. Thank you for this blog and your relief efforts, We are honored that you are part of this city, choosing to live and work here. Minus the rains, I hope you have even more wonderful experiences in this city.
Hi Sobia, I met my wife here so you can’t hope for many more better experiences than that 🙂 I’m so glad this article was able to make you feel closer to home. The city is on the mend and the need right now is for volunteers to help at the relief centres (this is from my colleague who is helping out) so if you know people in Chennai, please help them spread the word!
What an uplifting experience for all. This should not go waste, please, ppl, collect all the stories of humanity rising above the misery and CREATE AN ARCHIVE/BOOK that can be widely disseminated as a tribute to the heroes & ppl of Chennai, and an inspiration to others.
What a great idea! There are so many stories we could probably write a new Ramayana with the courage, unity, heroism and compassion of Chennai’s people. I’ll have to speak to a few people and see if it’s even possible.
Hi Peter – Thanks so much for that account. Since most of us have barely any faith in our regular media, we have been relying on accounts by people on the ground. I really appreciate the detailed and sequential storytelling. Happy to hear you did okay. Like many of your commenters here – I’m an ex-Chennaiite and have been devouring every piece of news that was well-written and not sensational. You made my day. Here’s to hoping Chennai and Chennaiites are able to get back to the regular levels of hot and humid that is our normal.
Take care
Nima
Great writeup and photos Peter ! It captured more or less what the city has gone through over the past few weeks. Liked the Shaun of the Dead reference btw. I was in Adyar and we were lucky since we had supplies despite having no power.
You just put a big smile on my face that my Shaun of the Dead reference didn’t go to waste 🙂 Hope life is returning to normal for you now!
Amazing that Chennai could get through this will very few casualities. But the richest country in the world (USA) let people die in Katrina without a thought.
I wonder if anyone in the Bush administration ever gave a damn about anyone but themselves….