Posts Tagged ‘trauma’

As I write this post, I enjoy the privileges that I am blessed with in a developed nation, with a great sense of humility and respect. The past five days have been a great yet small journey where I have once again seen and felt that so many things that we have worked hard in life - could vanish in a second - and it is important to relish and appreciate things that we take for granted in our lives. Hurricane Ike swept through the South East parts of Texas - Galveston County and its islands, Pasadena, Texas City and other coastal areas - eventually making its way through Harris County and Houston before heading upwards and vanishing into the mysterious airs of Mother Nature. The hype to the arrival of Hurricane Ike was frightening and one could gather the constant fight against decisions and indecisions - should i leave/should i not, should i buy more water/should i not. If anything it would have been wiser to write down such battles within our minds and calcualte which ones were worth the deliberation. Thursday afternoon seemed like the day of the panic button - people lining up to fill their gases, others deciding to head towards the Western parts of Texas and Kroger/HEB/Walmart consumed with people as if were Disney Land. With the help of my colleagues I was able to stock up some essentials - water, bread, butter, Pringles and batteries. Even during the phase of the stock up, we were constantly fighting the battle of “should we leave or not?”.

Friday morning came along and I figured through many phone conversations that most of the people I knew had stayed up all night to figure out what was going to happen in Texas. The decision to not fight the question of leaving vs not leaving was shut down by the local officials as they advised people to stay indoors past noon on Friday. A friend of mine joined me at my house and we decided to ride out the storm. I was going to stay with a few of my colleagues but having more friends join me at my apartment ensured that I cannot do that. Constant calls between friends/colleagues and neighbors including family from outside the country as well as my parents played a critical role in making sure that we check marked all the essential commodities that we needed. It also hyped up the situation playing a good role in pushing up the adrenaline and wondering what was laying ahead. Anderson Cooper of CNN put that all thought of “what to expect” to rest when he blatantly stated what the Federal Weather Department had issued - “if you live in the coastal areas and you do not leave - it is sure death”. Such a warning and if one did not heed it - you would assume they were not in their correct minds or just utter idiots.

Around 9 p.m. the winds started getting a bit more “pacier” and the gusts more frequent. Midnight and the coconut trees along with its cousins were doing the pre-show to the eventual feature presentation. Of course it was interesting to see a couple “getting it on” in the jacuzzi with wind speeds nearly reaching 50mph and things falling everywhere. At least now they have something to tell their grand kids and a possible day of remembrance - or not! The lights went off at around 2 am and the process of getting scared/running around the apartment complex/peeking through windows and starting odd/weird conversations began. Trying to sleep was not an option since the main opera had come to town and it was getting more windier/noisier and much much more pounding with fists of rain. A small sequential firework crew called 75mph Gust boys set to work as we watched in awe and shock as more transformers went off in the gloomy skies. I felt a feeling of appreciation at the power of Mother Nature’s will but also a feeling of helplessness as I foresaw the future - definetly no electricity/water for a few days.

The hammering went for 6 to 7 hours and we waited patiently. It was hard to get through to anyone outside my apartment since the phone lines were jammed and signal strength fading to minus signed bars. As the sun began to creep slowly but surely in the morning, we were able to see what Ike had left behind - fallen trees, debris that had swept across the streets, areas of flooding, houses wrecked, land scapes completely changed, lives lost, business demolished and relief/agony ready to participate. Around noon time, we drove around the areas near my apartment and to count the times we were completely bamboozled was simply impossible. A BMW 5 series car stuck in an area that was flooded atleast to a height of 2 feet signified that nature does not care whether you are rich or poor - democratic or republican - vegetarian or not - just that you were in its damn way - so GET OUT! If life were only that easy - what a complete irony is it not?

The past 5 days have been simply put - tiring and full of lessons to be learnt with a higher sense of appreciation/gratitude for the things that we are blessed with.  As I washed my dishes with a small amount of water that I had collected from the rain water that was falling from the roofs, I realized that it has been some time since I appreciated what Mother Nature gives us everyday - so much so that I went and took a shower right underneath that waterfall.

For more information and pictures please visit:

http://thaneshsadachcharan.com/gallery/main.php?g2_itemId=23

http://www.youtube.com/thaneshk

And Do not hesitate to volunteer or give some of your hard earned money to those who have absolutely lost everything.