Share your experience of facing a natural calamity

I faced Tsunami, that shattered my own place Vizag.

Though the Authorities, instructed, what to do and what not to do, we the Members of our Locality formed in to a group . All of us kept our cool and without losing our nerve, spent until the Tsunami subsided.

Nature can be terrifying. Once a couple of years ago we decided to drive up the western ghats and spend time on the Kumaradhara river bank that flows through the mountains and is very scenic . It was early June and we knew that Monsoons were about to begin. When we started it was warm and clear. We parked the car and carried all the stuff that we had taken to have a picnic on the river bank which was about half km away and we had to climb down a steep hill. We spent some time , had lunch and suddenly it started clouding over and started pouring and we had never seen anything like it because the river waters started rising and began to swell up in a matter of minutes . We had to run for our lives carrying all the stuff and climb up the slippery hill side since by then they had become muddy with water flowing down from all the crevices ...It was a very scary experience never to be forgotten.

usha manohar wrote:

Nature can be terrifying. Once a couple of years ago we decided to drive up the western ghats and spend time on the Kumaradhara river bank that flows through the mountains and is very scenic . It was early June and we knew that Monsoons were about to begin. When we started it was warm and clear. We parked the car and carried all the stuff that we had taken to have a picnic on the river bank which was about half km away and we had to climb down a steep hill. We spent some time , had lunch and suddenly it started clouding over and started pouring and we had never seen anything like it because the river waters started rising and began to swell up in a matter of minutes . We had to run for our lives carrying all the stuff and climb up the slippery hill side since by then they had become muddy with water flowing down from all the crevices ...It was a very scary experience never to be forgotten.

Your description scared me so one can easily make out how fearful it was for you all. I remember an incident which we witnessed was not a calamity but an experience of a regular practice of the nature. Though a natural one, we all got a bit scared. A group of friends went to Falta on Hoogly river in West Bengal. In the evening we went on a boat ride. The boat was a huge one and we enjoyed a lot but when we came back at the shore, it was a low tide and thus water had receded to a great extent. The boatmen fixed a narrow wooden slab from the boat to the bank for us to get down. The slab was so narrow that if we had missed our step we would have fallen in the river. My husband and his male friends somehow managed but the ladies were a bit horrified. One of the boatmen helped each one of us to climb down but as the man was going to and fro, the wooden slab became slippery so we got afraid. Thankfully, everything went well.      

Scary and awful 

I have faced lots of natural calamity in the form of earthquake. Northeast India is an earthquake vulnerable zone and we very often have it. We usually run out of the house and stay out till the shaking subsides. Earlier earthquakes didn't much terrify us as we are used to it but the earthquake which took place on 4th jan 2016 really scared all of us. It took place early in the morning around 4:30am, when most of the people were in bed. The intensity of the earthquake was 6.7 Richter scale which was quite terrifying. I think it shook for longer duration than before too. It literally destroyed Imphal as lots of buildings were damaged in that earthquake. A few people were also killed and left many people with bad memories. Many people are more terrified of earthquakes after that incident

Shampa Sadhya wrote:

usha manohar wrote:

Nature can be terrifying. Once a couple of years ago we decided to drive up the western ghats and spend time on the Kumaradhara river bank that flows through the mountains and is very scenic . It was early June and we knew that Monsoons were about to begin. When we started it was warm and clear. We parked the car and carried all the stuff that we had taken to have a picnic on the river bank which was about half km away and we had to climb down a steep hill. We spent some time , had lunch and suddenly it started clouding over and started pouring and we had never seen anything like it because the river waters started rising and began to swell up in a matter of minutes . We had to run for our lives carrying all the stuff and climb up the slippery hill side since by then they had become muddy with water flowing down from all the crevices ...It was a very scary experience never to be forgotten.

Your description scared me so one can easily make out how fearful it was for you all. I remember an incident which we witnessed was not a calamity but an experience of a regular practice of the nature. Though a natural one, we all got a bit scared. A group of friends went to Falta on Hoogly river in West Bengal. In the evening we went on a boat ride. The boat was a huge one and we enjoyed a lot but when we came back at the shore, it was a low tide and thus water had receded to a great extent. The boatmen fixed a narrow wooden slab from the boat to the bank for us to get down. The slab was so narrow that if we had missed our step we would have fallen in the river. My husband and his male friends somehow managed but the ladies were a bit horrified. One of the boatmen helped each one of us to climb down but as the man was going to and fro, the wooden slab became slippery so we got afraid. Thankfully, everything went well.      

It must have been scary , also goes to show the kind of safety measures we have in our day today life, putting people at risk all the time. I see country boats plying with people with no life jackets and filled capacity , looking as if it would drown with one move from anyone on the boat. We get to hear of bats capsizing which is most of the time a human made tragedy.

Another incident that I remember is when we visited Ooty and my son wanted to walk on a steep rock which jutted out to the valley. We were at a safe distance watching and cautioning him  and as it happens there,  suddenly fog engulfed all of us with my son on the rock right at the end overlooking the valley . I screamed and asked him to sit on the rock without moving because we could not see one another for at least 10 mins but it seemed like hours. I was crying and all of us were terrified as to what would happen to Mrinal, our son. Finally when it cleared we could see him sitting close to us. He had crawled all the way back and I still go cold when i think of the risk he took.

usha manohar wrote:

Shampa Sadhya wrote:

usha manohar wrote:

Nature can be terrifying. Once a couple of years ago we decided to drive up the western ghats and spend time on the Kumaradhara river bank that flows through the mountains and is very scenic . It was early June and we knew that Monsoons were about to begin. When we started it was warm and clear. We parked the car and carried all the stuff that we had taken to have a picnic on the river bank which was about half km away and we had to climb down a steep hill. We spent some time , had lunch and suddenly it started clouding over and started pouring and we had never seen anything like it because the river waters started rising and began to swell up in a matter of minutes . We had to run for our lives carrying all the stuff and climb up the slippery hill side since by then they had become muddy with water flowing down from all the crevices ...It was a very scary experience never to be forgotten.

Your description scared me so one can easily make out how fearful it was for you all. I remember an incident which we witnessed was not a calamity but an experience of a regular practice of the nature. Though a natural one, we all got a bit scared. A group of friends went to Falta on Hoogly river in West Bengal. In the evening we went on a boat ride. The boat was a huge one and we enjoyed a lot but when we came back at the shore, it was a low tide and thus water had receded to a great extent. The boatmen fixed a narrow wooden slab from the boat to the bank for us to get down. The slab was so narrow that if we had missed our step we would have fallen in the river. My husband and his male friends somehow managed but the ladies were a bit horrified. One of the boatmen helped each one of us to climb down but as the man was going to and fro, the wooden slab became slippery so we got afraid. Thankfully, everything went well.      

It must have been scary , also goes to show the kind of safety measures we have in our day today life, putting people at risk all the time. I see country boats plying with people with no life jackets and filled capacity , looking as if it would drown with one move from anyone on the boat. We get to hear of bats capsizing which is most of the time a human made tragedy.

Another incident that I remember is when we visited Ooty and my son wanted to walk on a steep rock which jutted out to the valley. We were at a safe distance watching and cautioning him  and as it happens there,  suddenly fog engulfed all of us with my son on the rock right at the end overlooking the valley . I screamed and asked him to sit on the rock without moving because we could not see one another for at least 10 mins but it seemed like hours. I was crying and all of us were terrified as to what would happen to Mrinal, our son. Finally when it cleared we could see him sitting close to us. He had crawled all the way back and I still go cold when i think of the risk he took.

It was horrifying indeed. Mrinal took a very risky decision but God saved you all. Such a terrifying incident cannot be erased from one's mind. One gets confused at the time when something dangerous like the one you mentioned takes place unaware.

Well, about our boat drama I must say that we would have avoided it if we had returned to the bank a little early. It was a huge boat and we were fifteen including the kids. We had booked the entire boat and our journey was extremely fine only our timing went a bit wrong.      

Yes, such incidents create terror in the People.   I hail from a place, that is nearby Seashore. For us sea based, hurricanes are almost regular . Not very long ago , in a place called Konada , a Hurricanea completely swept the place. But these residents did not get scared. They kept cool.

Such mentalities are needed. People should not get panic.

usha manohar wrote:

Shampa Sadhya wrote:

usha manohar wrote:

Nature can be terrifying. Once a couple of years ago we decided to drive up the western ghats and spend time on the Kumaradhara river bank that flows through the mountains and is very scenic . It was early June and we knew that Monsoons were about to begin. When we started it was warm and clear. We parked the car and carried all the stuff that we had taken to have a picnic on the river bank which was about half km away and we had to climb down a steep hill. We spent some time , had lunch and suddenly it started clouding over and started pouring and we had never seen anything like it because the river waters started rising and began to swell up in a matter of minutes . We had to run for our lives carrying all the stuff and climb up the slippery hill side since by then they had become muddy with water flowing down from all the crevices ...It was a very scary experience never to be forgotten.

Your description scared me so one can easily make out how fearful it was for you all. I remember an incident which we witnessed was not a calamity but an experience of a regular practice of the nature. Though a natural one, we all got a bit scared. A group of friends went to Falta on Hoogly river in West Bengal. In the evening we went on a boat ride. The boat was a huge one and we enjoyed a lot but when we came back at the shore, it was a low tide and thus water had receded to a great extent. The boatmen fixed a narrow wooden slab from the boat to the bank for us to get down. The slab was so narrow that if we had missed our step we would have fallen in the river. My husband and his male friends somehow managed but the ladies were a bit horrified. One of the boatmen helped each one of us to climb down but as the man was going to and fro, the wooden slab became slippery so we got afraid. Thankfully, everything went well.      

It must have been scary , also goes to show the kind of safety measures we have in our day today life, putting people at risk all the time. I see country boats plying with people with no life jackets and filled capacity , looking as if it would drown with one move from anyone on the boat. We get to hear of bats capsizing which is most of the time a human made tragedy.

Another incident that I remember is when we visited Ooty and my son wanted to walk on a steep rock which jutted out to the valley. We were at a safe distance watching and cautioning him  and as it happens there,  suddenly fog engulfed all of us with my son on the rock right at the end overlooking the valley . I screamed and asked him to sit on the rock without moving because we could not see one another for at least 10 mins but it seemed like hours. I was crying and all of us were terrified as to what would happen to Mrinal, our son. Finally when it cleared we could see him sitting close to us. He had crawled all the way back and I still go cold when i think of the risk he took.

Your son is very brave to take such a big risk. A small mistake in his movement would have cost him his life. I can imagine the plight of all of you when he was engulfed in fog. We tend to get concerned when our loved ones are not with us when such terrifying experience occurs.

jabeen wrote:

I have faced lots of natural calamity in the form of earthquake. Northeast India is an earthquake vulnerable zone and we very often have it. We usually run out of the house and stay out till the shaking subsides. Earlier earthquakes didn't much terrify us as we are used to it but the earthquake which took place on 4th jan 2016 really scared all of us. It took place early in the morning around 4:30am, when most of the people were in bed. The intensity of the earthquake was 6.7 Richter scale which was quite terrifying. I think it shook for longer duration than before too. It literally destroyed Imphal as lots of buildings were damaged in that earthquake. A few people were also killed and left many people with bad memories. Many people are more terrified of earthquakes after that incident

Yes, the earthquake in 2016 was quite devastating. You faced it and others like me got to know from electronic and print media. The timing of the disaster did not give people enough time to react accordingly. Thank God! You people were saved and really sorry for those who suffered a great loss.

What about the 'natural" threat omnipresent in the Forum itself. How do we face it?

What do you mean? Please explain

Humans are also natural.

vijay wrote:

Humans are also natural.

I request you to ignore the cruel fact of this forum or else every thread will become meaningless. The person who is misusing the site for personal benefit will never ever try to change his own attitude. 

Well, it would be nice if you can share any incident, good or bad, related to natural calamity. Through this we all will emerge a little more knowledgeable regarding calamities which may become handy in the future.  

In 1975 I witnessed flood in Patna. It was the Son river which flooded the whole city. The flood was massive. Only a few centimeters were left for the first floor to be drowned. I still remember the sound of the breaking of the boundary wall of a college and within five seconds our area got flooded. Water level went on increasing.,and that became a matter of concern.

Shampa Sadhya wrote:

In 1975 I witnessed flood in Patna. It was the Son river which flooded the whole city. The flood was massive. Only a few centimeters were left for the first floor to be drowned. I still remember the sound of the breaking of the boundary wall of a college and within five seconds our area got flooded. Water level went on increasing.,and that became a matter of concern.

That must be quite a harrowing time. Parts of Imphal too experience flash floods every monsoon but not so severe as the one you have experienced. So far the level of water has not gone above knee. 

jabeen wrote:

I have faced lots of natural calamity in the form of earthquake. Northeast India is an earthquake vulnerable zone and we very often have it. We usually run out of the house and stay out till the shaking subsides. Earlier earthquakes didn't much terrify us as we are used to it but the earthquake which took place on 4th jan 2016 really scared all of us. It took place early in the morning around 4:30am, when most of the people were in bed. The intensity of the earthquake was 6.7 Richter scale which was quite terrifying. I think it shook for longer duration than before too. It literally destroyed Imphal as lots of buildings were damaged in that earthquake. A few people were also killed and left many people with bad memories. Many people are more terrified of earthquakes after that incident

I guess we humans are so trivial that there is absolutely nothing we can do against it's fury except hope for the best. It is this very power of nature that inspired people to worship it. I have never experienced an earthquake but can imagine the fear and devastation it brings with it.

jabeen wrote:

Shampa Sadhya wrote:

In 1975 I witnessed flood in Patna. It was the Son river which flooded the whole city. The flood was massive. Only a few centimeters were left for the first floor to be drowned. I still remember the sound of the breaking of the boundary wall of a college and within five seconds our area got flooded. Water level went on increasing.,and that became a matter of concern.

That must be quite a harrowing time. Parts of Imphal too experience flash floods every monsoon but not so severe as the one you have experienced. So far the level of water has not gone above knee. 

Yes jabeen, it was indeed a harrowing time. I was a school student at that time. My father was admitted in AIIMS for pacemaker surgery. My mother and another family member was with him in Delhi while rest of us were in Patna. Two of my uncles stayed on the roof and sent rest of us to a relative's place in Patna only but in another area which was not flooded. While we were leaving our home the water was at waist level and what a current it had. It was difficult to move ahead. We made a chain and moved forward. When we came back after almost ten days I suppose, it was a mess all around.  

usha manohar wrote:

jabeen wrote:

I have faced lots of natural calamity in the form of earthquake. Northeast India is an earthquake vulnerable zone and we very often have it. We usually run out of the house and stay out till the shaking subsides. Earlier earthquakes didn't much terrify us as we are used to it but the earthquake which took place on 4th jan 2016 really scared all of us. It took place early in the morning around 4:30am, when most of the people were in bed. The intensity of the earthquake was 6.7 Richter scale which was quite terrifying. I think it shook for longer duration than before too. It literally destroyed Imphal as lots of buildings were damaged in that earthquake. A few people were also killed and left many people with bad memories. Many people are more terrified of earthquakes after that incident

I guess we humans are so trivial that there is absolutely nothing we can do against it's fury except hope for the best. It is this very power of nature that inspired people to worship it. I have never experienced an earthquake but can imagine the fear and devastation it brings with it.

@usha manohar you have rightly said that nothing can be done against the fury of nature. We human beings are simply helpless in such condition. I have experienced minor earthquakes many times in Delhi. It was not devastating but always left behind a sense of fear for some time. Sometimes it so happened that I felt the tremor but no one else did so in the family and we confirmed it through news. 

Yes. Despite several Achievements, humans are yet to find a way to stop the Nature fury.