Despite the doom and gloom, the sense of community in a time of crisis was impressive Saranya Devan
A WEEK after a devastating cyclone hit Chennai, a South African dancer who is in the city for a festival said she was lucky to have escaped unharmed.
The Hindustan Times reported that five days after Cyclone Michaung submerged most of Chennai, wrecked civic infrastructure and cut off power for millions of residents, large parts of the city’s low-lying neighbourhoods in the north and south remained flooded, with households still without electricity or essential supplies.
Saranya Devan is a PhD student and a dance lecturer at UCT, and she is attending the Margazhi Music and Dance Festival in Chennai.
She had not been able to contact her family in South Africa for a few days after the storm because the cellphone networks were not operational.
Devan said: “I am in Mylapore, which felt the impact of the cyclonic rains. Fortunately, I am in an area that has sound buildings and power.
“We have a generator and warnings are issued if it has to be shut down for refuelling or in case of an emergency. As a precaution, the power was intermittently shut off. For now, we have to use gas stoves to cook. Initially, there was no wifi or network for almost 24 hours. My biggest frustration was not being able to contact my family back home to let them know that I was okay.”
She said despite all the doom and gloom, she was impressed by the sense of community in the time of crisis.
“The community here rallied together during and after the floods, doing Seva - helping those in need with food and other essentials. There are still places that are waterlogged. It is wet and muddy outside. In some areas, there was no network, which was a challenge if we needed to pay for goods or food using our cards.
"This was an interesting experience. I live in Cape Town and am used to the strong winds. But it was the first time I experienced a cyclone with such heavy rains. I am lucky to have escaped unharmed."
She said she was cautious because she did not want to get sick.
“With the stagnant water, I have to be wary of the mosquitoes and Dengue Fever. But this should not keep people from travelling to Chennai during the December/January season. It is a popular time for South Africans to travel here. The authorities here are on top of things. Tourists must just take the necessary precautions.”
Enver Govender, formerly of Overport in Durban, moved to Chennai in 1993. He owns and runs Indo South African Tours.
Govender currently has three families from South Africa who are visiting Chennai. He said they were safe.
He lives in Chromepet, which is about 20 minutes away from the airport.
“I had tourists arriving just two days after the cyclone hit, and they are settled and absolutely fine. Chennai is a popular destination in Tamil Nadu. Many come to Chennai for leisure. The majority of South Africans come for religious and cultural reasons, particularly at this time of the year when we have a major month-long musical festival.
“Recovery after the cyclone has been quick. A day after the cyclone hit, our trains, buses and taxis were up and running. The airport was also open. I know there are one or two videos and photographs circulating online that present a distorted image of what is currently happening in Chennai. While there were one or two, especially low-lying, areas that were worst affected, by and large everything is up and running. Areas like Velachery and in North Madras were the worst hit.”
Cyclone Michaung struck on December 4 and reached peak intensity as it approached the coast of Tamil Nadu with winds of 110km per hour.
On December 5, the storm made landfall between Nellore and Machilipatnam in Andhra Pradesh, weakening as it moved inland.
By December 6, the storm had weakened to a depression over central Andhra Pradesh.
It has been reported that about 24cm of rain fell in Chennai and that the heavy rains brought back memories of deadly floods in 2015, which killed more than 200 people in Chennai.
The Indian Express said eight people died and thousands, including 6 000 within Chennai’S city limits, were displaced by the recent rains.
“Widespread power outages were reported, and telecommunication in Chennai was severely disrupted, halting essential networks including phone services, cellphone networks, and the Internet. Residents have said they were stuck inside their homes for nearly five days as stagnant water hindered movement,” reported The Indian Express
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