26th January 2011 witnessed one of the worst flash floods in Jeddah city in Saudi Arabia.Jeddah which is the commercial capital of saudia arabia was hit by a 2 hour thunderstorm that left behind unpreceedented carnage and wrecked havoc in the city.People were caught unawares of the situation and soon the roads were flooded and traffic came to a stand still.The city has a history of poor drainage systems as it was never to be predicted that Jeddah which is practically in the middle of a desert will ever experience 91 mm of rain in a day.The proximity to the sea proved to be the biggest danger as the sea water threatened to enter the city to wipe out what was an already devastated city.
We were at the office when all this happened and soon it dawned on us that we should also get going of we faced the danger of being stranded in office in an alien country to fend for ourselves.We looked out for organised help and support from SVA (our client) and our project manangement.But such was the pandemonium that noone was ready to lend a ear,leave alone a helping hand.
We decided to fend for ourselves and left the premises in the SUV of one of our friends.Water levels were right up to the tyres when we left and it appeared to be an impossible task to wade through waist high waters in the SUV.Still we took our chances and tried to drive through the parking lot.By the time we were on the roads, the water was gushing around flowing in torrents.The current flow was amazing and we could feel that the wheels of the vehicle were not on the ground many a time.We managed to drive for a 100 meters, when we were directed by the Civil Defence Personnel to stop and park the car nearby as water levels further down King Fahd road were more that waist level.
We parked our car near the Sharafiah signal and decided to walk down to Hotel Marriot.In a crisis situation no organisation comes to help.Marriot disowned us when we called for help and so did the other hotels nearby.It was each man on his own.
During such times, the inner strength is tested and one has to act on his instincts and local knowledge.We walked for another hour in shoulder high waters in flowing water to reach the hotel.This is one experience that i hate narrating,but will be etched in my memory and in those of all the people who were witnessed to nature's wrath on THE BLACK WEDNESDAY - 26th Jan 2011
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