26th July, 2005 - Worst we've seen

tsk1979 · 29th July 2005, 10:54

Such things happen in US also. During torrential rains cities get flooded. Mumbai received the highest recorded rainfall in history. In such a case no country can do anything. But the sad part is that even if the quantum of rain had been 1/4th of that it was the case would have been similar. Look at banglore, all it needs is a drizzle to turn into a water park.

Surprise · 29th July 2005, 10:59

It's very sad. Could feel the impact on seeing the snaps & reading the posts.

My brother entered Mumbai just a day before the rain god struck. He moved from Chennai to Mumbai on promotion in his profession. On seeing what's happening in Mumbai, my parents spent the night in tears, as we were not able to get in touch with him due to the network down. We were relived after we got a call from him confirming he has not got into this.

My condolences to the affected people

v_s_natarajan · 29th July 2005, 11:00

[quote=v1p3r]
I hate to be a quibbler, but I don't understand what this Mumbaikar spirit is, that everyone's talking about. QUOTE]
oh that is because it is raining in Mumbai.
if it had been Cheenai, it would be a chennaite, bangalorians in case of bangalore, patnian in case of patna

tsk1979 · 29th July 2005, 11:09

Great writeup dude. You are right, no pictures, no reports cam do justice to what happened. And hats of to the street people who came out to help.

Boom Shiva · 29th July 2005, 11:25

I guess a lot of us from Mumbai have nightmares to share...here's mine:

I tried leaving my office in Mahim at 3:30 pm on Tuesday, to get to my home in Versova. Mahim Causeway was completely flooded. Missed by old Gypsy like mad cause my Lancer got flooded. Eventually the car stalled in Bandra, and I had to push it to my aunt's place. The whole place was like a natural disaster zone...trees and cars all over the place

I waited there for a couple of hours, and unfortunately my car started again. Unfortunate, because like an idiot, I decided to try and make it home. 5 hours later, I was still in Khar. It was dark as hell, no electricity, phone networks or any kind of emergency services where I realised with horror that many people had just abandoned their cars and even buses in the middle of the road, making it impossible to maneouver.

Eventually I parked my car in a tight corner of a lane and started walking home. It is an experience I will never forget.

The whole scene was like the movie War of the Worlds...vehicles lying abandoned...all kinds of cars, from marutis to Jags and Mercs lying submerged...thousands of people wading through the water like zombies...I even managed to fall into a hole along the way and barely managed to keep my head out of the water (yuck!)

I finally made it home by 5 am, only to find out that my sister and parents were still out there. Was horrible to wait helplessly with no phones or anything. My sister eventually also ditched her car with her driver and walked home, making it back by around 8-9 am, looking totally traumatised.

By 4 pm there was no sign of my parents, so we went out looking for them...everywhere we went there was still chaos, but it was heartening to see people helping each other wherever we went. Our government may suck, but Mumbaiites rule.

My parents eventually made it home after spending nearly 30 hours in their car.

My family made it back safe and sound, but my heart goes out to the people who suffered losses in this tragedy that I consider to have been totally avoidable.

I believe that there are three responsible parties that need to be investigated thoroughly and made to pay for everyone's pain;

1. The BMC - Mr. Johhny Joseph, the next time you open your mouth, I hope all the sewage I walked through pours into it and gags you.

2. Reliance Industries - You dug up our city and messed the drainage.

3. The builders - For clogging our drains with the cement and debris from all those big, new highrises. I hope those were your Mercs, Jags and Lexuses that were submerged.

Sorry for the language, but I believe there are lots of people who are as pissed off as I am right now.

ported_head · 29th July 2005, 11:31

Threads Merged.

BoomShiva, I can understand the need to vent your anger, but I had to edit your post for expletives, board rules still remain.

Gordon · 29th July 2005, 11:34

On the way back I seen those canals, near Amitabh's bungalow, were completely full and overflowing. There was a construction site in my area with atleast a WIDE 20 feet pit which was FULL and at that place there was knee-deep water. I'm imagining if that pit wasn't there to take in the extra water, how deep would the water be??

v_s_natarajan · 29th July 2005, 12:09

Quote:

Originally Posted by Boom Shiva

Sorry for the language, but I believe there are lots of people who are as pissed off as I am right now.

Good You made it without serious injuries.
I had a similar experience 7 years before and it was very traumatic.
With a record downpour in Mumbai, My heart goes out for the poorer people of Bombay

cream · 29th July 2005, 14:05

Quote:

Originally Posted by ported_head

Threads Merged.

BoomShiva, I can understand the need to vent your anger, but I had to edit your post for expletives, board rules still remain.

for once, the expletives may have been necessary - i share boom-shiva's anger on the state of this city - which can go under in 4 hours...

todays paper's tell a story that has been oft repeated but always neglected - that of neglect, callousness and apathy on the part of the system i.e. the bmc, the mmrda et al...and that of profiteering, greed and corruption on the part of the power lobby.

while the authorities say that there really was nothing that they could have done - because of the unprecedented rain...they have done nothing all along - and this is the final straw.

yes - i hope that people responsible for this city - including all politicians - have had some very personal loss - they are truly shameless and i classify them as the scum of this earth...all they can do is circulate in helicopters 2 days after the disaster and give excuses in the news.

everything that has gone right for india is actually the enterprise of the indian citizen - the software industry, the bpo industry etc - nothing positive has been started by any politician - yet today these politicians claim their pound of flesh in having a hand in the 'success' of this country.

in bombay - we suffer with everything...we pay the highest taxes, we pay for the highest property rates, we have the highest rate of petrol, diesel - the cost of living is ridicously high and yet the quality of life is among the worst in the world.

today, pm singh offered a compensation package of 500 crores to the state - i hope he is there to personally hand it out to the people who were effected - or it will all go into the pockets of shameless politicians again.

i have lost more than a lakh worth of instrumentation, material and other goods in my assembly workshop at kurla - not to mention my car is still lying in my client's building - my mobile phone is out. luckily, me and my family are safe.

i know what i'm gonna do - to make up for all these losses - any guesses? let me hint - the deadline for paying income tax is aug31...

Dippy · 29th July 2005, 14:10

Hey cream glad to know you and your family are safe. I guess you must share the anguish with me since we live in the same area. It is an episode I will never forget

Here are some pictures i took in my area after natures fury

Dippy

cream · 29th July 2005, 14:17

yes, you live in oberoi towers don't you? i believe, the basement level parking of all those towers were really flooded - esp viceroy towers - and the roads leading to these towers were also cordoned off...

when i returned on 27th evening - of course all was clear around - but i believe they were still pumping out the water from some of those basement levels where the car parkings were..

i think we should all count our blessings that our families are safe - others have not been so fortunate...money can (and will) be re-earned

Dippy · 29th July 2005, 14:28

Well cream luckily for me at Oberoi we dont have basement parking .. we have ground plus two upwards. Viceroy towers is not so lucky though. They have a basement parking with a height of 12 feet. I paid a visit there yesterday and water in the basement parking area is full to the brim. Pumps were being used to clear water but unfortunately there are about 100 cars completely submerged under water.

Dippy

Stratos · 29th July 2005, 14:53

My area(Sion) was one of the worst affected. Traffic was standstill for around 20 hours. All the women from my building made food which we teenagers distributed in BEST buses, State Transport buses many people who were stranded on the road for a long time. We distributed over 500 packets of Bisquits, Bananas and all the food that we could get to all who we saw were in trouble. All hotels had closed as there was no electricity. It was actually like a small sea ranging from Somiya Hospital covering the whole ground and the mainroad and Chunabhatti Station. Frankly, I have never seen such a disaster in my life.

dadudeonfire · 29th July 2005, 14:53

dude i used to stay at oberoi towers...had two connected flats out there...was living in bandra before that...but from kanivali communication became a problem...now that the flat has been sold...i sometimes regret it becuase it was a very cool house and an amazing building too

sivadas · 29th July 2005, 15:16

I was worried after seeing all those images coming on TV. But now after reading all your firsthand descriptions, I feel very very sad. Realize that at times we can be so helpless and vulnerable. My deepest sympathies to all those who had to face this disaster.

29th July 2005, 10:54	#31
tsk1979 Team-BHP Support Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: San Jose, CA Posts: 23,697 Thanked: 23,487 Times View My Garage	Such things happen in US also. During torrential rains cities get flooded. Mumbai received the highest recorded rainfall in history. In such a case no country can do anything. But the sad part is that even if the quantum of rain had been 1/4th of that it was the case would have been similar. Look at banglore, all it needs is a drizzle to turn into a water park.
	() Thanks

29th July 2005, 10:59	#32
Surprise Senior - BHPian Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Chennai Posts: 2,529 Thanked: 463 Times	It's very sad. Could feel the impact on seeing the snaps & reading the posts. My brother entered Mumbai just a day before the rain god struck. He moved from Chennai to Mumbai on promotion in his profession. On seeing what's happening in Mumbai, my parents spent the night in tears, as we were not able to get in touch with him due to the network down. We were relived after we got a call from him confirming he has not got into this. My condolences to the affected people
	() Thanks

29th July 2005, 11:00	#33
v_s_natarajan BHPian Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: chennai Posts: 261 Thanked: 3 Times	[quote=v1p3r] I hate to be a quibbler, but I don't understand what this Mumbaikar spirit is, that everyone's talking about. QUOTE] oh that is because it is raining in Mumbai. if it had been Cheenai, it would be a chennaite, bangalorians in case of bangalore, patnian in case of patna
	() Thanks

29th July 2005, 11:09	#34
tsk1979 Team-BHP Support Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: San Jose, CA Posts: 23,697 Thanked: 23,487 Times View My Garage	Great writeup dude. You are right, no pictures, no reports cam do justice to what happened. And hats of to the street people who came out to help.
	() Thanks

29th July 2005, 11:25	#35
Boom Shiva BANNED Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Mumbai Posts: 1,044 Thanked: 19 Times	How badly were you hit on Tuesday? I guess a lot of us from Mumbai have nightmares to share...here's mine: I tried leaving my office in Mahim at 3:30 pm on Tuesday, to get to my home in Versova. Mahim Causeway was completely flooded. Missed by old Gypsy like mad cause my Lancer got flooded. Eventually the car stalled in Bandra, and I had to push it to my aunt's place. The whole place was like a natural disaster zone...trees and cars all over the place I waited there for a couple of hours, and unfortunately my car started again. Unfortunate, because like an idiot, I decided to try and make it home. 5 hours later, I was still in Khar. It was dark as hell, no electricity, phone networks or any kind of emergency services where I realised with horror that many people had just abandoned their cars and even buses in the middle of the road, making it impossible to maneouver. Eventually I parked my car in a tight corner of a lane and started walking home. It is an experience I will never forget. The whole scene was like the movie War of the Worlds...vehicles lying abandoned...all kinds of cars, from marutis to Jags and Mercs lying submerged...thousands of people wading through the water like zombies...I even managed to fall into a hole along the way and barely managed to keep my head out of the water (yuck!) I finally made it home by 5 am, only to find out that my sister and parents were still out there. Was horrible to wait helplessly with no phones or anything. My sister eventually also ditched her car with her driver and walked home, making it back by around 8-9 am, looking totally traumatised. By 4 pm there was no sign of my parents, so we went out looking for them...everywhere we went there was still chaos, but it was heartening to see people helping each other wherever we went. Our government may suck, but Mumbaiites rule. My parents eventually made it home after spending nearly 30 hours in their car. My family made it back safe and sound, but my heart goes out to the people who suffered losses in this tragedy that I consider to have been totally avoidable. I believe that there are three responsible parties that need to be investigated thoroughly and made to pay for everyone's pain; 1. The BMC - Mr. Johhny Joseph, the next time you open your mouth, I hope all the sewage I walked through pours into it and gags you. 2. Reliance Industries - You dug up our city and messed the drainage. 3. The builders - For clogging our drains with the cement and debris from all those big, new highrises. I hope those were your Mercs, Jags and Lexuses that were submerged. Sorry for the language, but I believe there are lots of people who are as pissed off as I am right now. Last edited by ported_head : 29th July 2005 at 11:33.
	() Thanks

29th July 2005, 11:31	#36
ported_head Senior - BHPian Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Mumbai, India Posts: 2,381 Thanked: 21 Times	Threads Merged. BoomShiva, I can understand the need to vent your anger, but I had to edit your post for expletives, board rules still remain.
	() Thanks

29th July 2005, 11:34	#37
Gordon Senior - BHPian Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Mumbai Posts: 2,550 Thanked: 508 Times View My Garage	On the way back I seen those canals, near Amitabh's bungalow, were completely full and overflowing. There was a construction site in my area with atleast a WIDE 20 feet pit which was FULL and at that place there was knee-deep water. I'm imagining if that pit wasn't there to take in the extra water, how deep would the water be??
	() Thanks

29th July 2005, 14:10	#40
Dippy Senior - BHPian Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Mumbai, India Posts: 7,759 Thanked: 4,230 Times	Hey cream glad to know you and your family are safe. I guess you must share the anguish with me since we live in the same area. It is an episode I will never forget Here are some pictures i took in my area after natures fury Dippy Last edited by Dippy : 29th July 2005 at 14:25.
	() Thanks

29th July 2005, 14:17	#41
cream BHPian Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: mumbai Posts: 158 Thanked: 4 Times	yes, you live in oberoi towers don't you? i believe, the basement level parking of all those towers were really flooded - esp viceroy towers - and the roads leading to these towers were also cordoned off... when i returned on 27th evening - of course all was clear around - but i believe they were still pumping out the water from some of those basement levels where the car parkings were.. i think we should all count our blessings that our families are safe - others have not been so fortunate...money can (and will) be re-earned
	() Thanks

29th July 2005, 14:28	#42
Dippy Senior - BHPian Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Mumbai, India Posts: 7,759 Thanked: 4,230 Times	Well cream luckily for me at Oberoi we dont have basement parking .. we have ground plus two upwards. Viceroy towers is not so lucky though. They have a basement parking with a height of 12 feet. I paid a visit there yesterday and water in the basement parking area is full to the brim. Pumps were being used to clear water but unfortunately there are about 100 cars completely submerged under water. Dippy
	() Thanks

29th July 2005, 14:53	#43
Stratos Senior - BHPian Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Belgium Posts: 2,613 Thanked: 1,602 Times View My Garage	My area(Sion) was one of the worst affected. Traffic was standstill for around 20 hours. All the women from my building made food which we teenagers distributed in BEST buses, State Transport buses many people who were stranded on the road for a long time. We distributed over 500 packets of Bisquits, Bananas and all the food that we could get to all who we saw were in trouble. All hotels had closed as there was no electricity. It was actually like a small sea ranging from Somiya Hospital covering the whole ground and the mainroad and Chunabhatti Station. Frankly, I have never seen such a disaster in my life.
	() Thanks

29th July 2005, 14:53	#44
dadudeonfire BANNED Join Date: May 2005 Location: mumbai - bandra Posts: 367 Thanked: Once	dude i used to stay at oberoi towers...had two connected flats out there...was living in bandra before that...but from kanivali communication became a problem...now that the flat has been sold...i sometimes regret it becuase it was a very cool house and an amazing building too
	() Thanks

29th July 2005, 15:16	#45
sivadas BHPian Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Bangalore Posts: 507 Thanked: 238 Times View My Garage	I was worried after seeing all those images coming on TV. But now after reading all your firsthand descriptions, I feel very very sad. Realize that at times we can be so helpless and vulnerable. My deepest sympathies to all those who had to face this disaster.
	() Thanks