Natural disaster
This article discusses how a man and his family were swept away from their homes by an extremely powerful flood, which destroyed the city of Karachi. It also describes a few tips on how to survive a life flood.
Natural hazards can have different meanings depending of each country's laws, customs, geography and so on. A flood is considered as an extreme hazard, but it can be very dangerous if it affects your home or business. The people who live in cities are more exposed than those who live in the countryside, because water can easily penetrate through their walls.
In this case the property in Pakistan was completely covered in sand and mud. We had suffered flood water damage and we did not expect such a huge catastrophe. When I heard about it my first thought was something like: How much did they get? What will happen next? How can we clean up all that mess? Now, everyone has been asked to leave their houses immediately as the floodwater reached the rooftops above our house and we still heard sounds of flooding. As if that does not bring us enough anxiety then there is always some kind of a disaster story after disaster. So, we decided to take a walk around to know what happened and if we had a sense of direction, where to go next.
At first we went through every alley in the city looking for shelter, then we came across someone standing on the wall of our house. He said he saw the flood water coming out of the building and all his clothes were dirty. At once, everyone was shocked and we were all worried about where we could find shelter or if we should stay here. But the man assured us of safety and no one was allowed to be left alone in our home. We did not know how long we would be in danger, but soon we found a safe place. We could find shelter at the nearest mosque. Unfortunately we were lucky because the prayer hall faced the sea, and the waters did not reach our feet. Luckily, prayers were being held in the middle of the flooded area. People are praying in order to save themselves. Our prayers were answered immediately when the floodwaters stopped penetrating under the roof of our house. One person managed to escape under the roof. That person got away from the inundated areas and quickly rushed over the road, but unfortunately he would not see life again. Once again, people began thinking of the worst for them, and they started preparing to leave. Soon, we heard thunderous noises of heavy waves crashing against the shore. To avoid any noise, we hurriedly took the stairs to our room. We ran into the living room and we could hear the rain hitting our windowpanes. We were both frightened and relieved to get out of the situation. We rushed through many rooms searching for others who might have been trapped in these apartments. On the way we had to pass a building whose windows were completely soaked in the rain water. There were several floors and I asked one man to tell me his name. After he called mine "Sudya". I think this could be the most important part of evacuation, because I cannot tell you all names. However, he finally came out, he told me where he hid his family. They were all alive and well. The other buildings and their occupants must have been evacuated too. Eventually, we had arrived at our destination, our own apartment in our town, Quetta. We never expected such a calamity and we were happy to see the water go down around our house. We had already taken everything with us, like water bottles, phones, money, food, etc. In short, we had packed everything we needed. We did not know exactly how long we would have to live in this house, because of the floods. After three days of living in Quetta we finally managed to come back to Quetta. And as we were walking past the river we just wanted to show our gratitude. Only if anyone was in danger and needed help he/she would be grateful for the help. We thanked God and decided to help everyone who needed help. During the last two days we received great assistance by police and military personnel as well as the government officials. In addition to that, we also received donations for people who needed help. Everyone came to take care of these people as well as rescue them. There was no need to worry anymore because help had arrived at hand. The only thing that was troubling us now was finding an open place where we could receive help and start rebuilding our lives again.
We were finally reunited at our final destination: Karachi. Life had been rough for us during the night's work. We had to sleep in uncomfortable beds. Every time we thought about leaving the room was filled with thoughts of death, fear, despair, trouble, difficulty and so forth until the day came when we had to leave. The following morning, we got out of bed, put on our uniform, put on our shoes and walked out of the bedroom towards the waiting vehicles. A number of cars and jeeps were waiting for us and finally we made our way out of the city. It would have been great if everything happened differently. If every second we would have been given a chance to see where we would go to in the future. However, God is omniscient, omnipresent and omniposed and His promises are fulfilled. So, people can look forward to the future with hope and faith knowing that one day, everything will return to normal. After all, it was a long process of reconstruction but still the end is near.
People were scared of being attacked by the crowding people. No one was going to run from here. We were going to meet our friends and relatives and we were really planning to enjoy ourselves together while doing so. Nevertheless, people did not give us another chance. We did everything according to our plan and even though we did not feel comfortable when we had to walk by the river we left for our friends in Karachi. It was a really hard decision to take but our friend's who worked abroad decided to send some men to escort us safely to our hotel. The people inside the hotel asked us questions and we were not able to answer them. My father told me "Don't give him any worries." The people were asking why do you want to go? Why did you leave before your friends. Because we were going to meet our friends and family and they said, our parents and children. The people who were supposed to escort us safely, also asked us questions and did not answer them. We had to stay hungry and at the same time were trying to figure out an answer to all these questions. We did not want to lose our way while trying to decide which route we were going to take. We were tired and exhausted, but the more we faced trouble and difficulties the more we realized that the best possible solution was accepting the offer made to us. We never even knew we would face so much trouble and misery in the whole world. All this turmoil did not prevent us from enjoying ourselves while doing things. Even though we had to spend a couple of precious hours to search for our way back to our home, we were happy that we had the opportunity to go back to our places.
We thanked God and decided to take a rest. Finally, we were able to finish our work without having to leave anything behind. Despite the fact that we were tired and worn out we continued and did everything as it was possible. It is impossible not to be sad after receiving such destruction and chaos. Especially when you work in a difficult job and that you are helping thousands of families in the entire world at the same time. Everything happened just so fast! Before we knew it, we were walking back home and we had already completed our journey back. Of course it goes up in our minds like nothing good ever ends in life. Sometimes the clouds look dark for a moment and suddenly the sky looks blue. The sky is blue for a moment, rain comes, sky starts falling and everyone is rushing in an attempt to save themselves. Just when you think it won't end any further, suddenly the skies turn blue, skies become clear again and everyone is busy in organizing another rescue operation. You can imagine how close the crowding people were and that they are really scary. The people who had lost everything they had were eager to have new objects and possessions. Children were crying while sitting next to their fathers or mothers. Women were crying while holding their babies. Families were crying as they tried to gather as much as they could. Someone was crying and someone was screaming. Those people were not getting any better. For some of them it was their last breath on earth when they were born. The news of this terrible accident kept us awake the right after it happened. Not having the power to change the outcome, we only wanted to make sure everyone found shelter. At least that was in our minds. We had planned our routes carefully and we finally made it here safe. When I finally stepped out, I thanked God and wished everyone the best of luck and safety in their endeavors. Being the eldest, a person that worked there for years, I was the man responsible for ensuring people's safety. Many people asked me "Is there anyone who is leaving for this job?" Yes. Some people were leaving for their jobs like any time tomorrow. Others were leaving for their places and some would be unable to return so early. Both groups of people would be taking a tough decision but it was one of the most difficult decisions people had. Their fate was sealed. I remember, when I had the courage to talk with them face to face, I told them: "Don't let your fears stop you from achieving what you want. Don't lose sight of your dreams. Believe in yourself, believe in your God and try to achieve all you want to. Nobody knows about this, but this event would bring a lot of pain and suffering so you should accept it with a smile. Keep calm, try to stay strong and God help you!
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