Wednesday, November 26, 2008

My First Cyclone

Yesterday afternoon the uncharacteristically strong winds invited the rains to join in. Since then, the rains have continued, at times quite heavy. From past experiences I knew that the ride to school would not be one to look forward to, but I had to leave anyway. One of the apartment residents was surprised that I was leaving, as the city's schools and colleges were canceled for the day. Not ours. Just like snowy days in which faculty & students felt like they should have had a day off, people were abuzz with the weather and the challenges they faced getting to school. For some, it took way over 2 1/2 hours just to get to school from across town. Thankfully, after school activities were canceled and everyone ordered to leave after the end of the school day. Instead of the auto rickshaw with its open sides I took to school, I got a ride in a car with a colleague. No splashing road water for me!

The reason for the sometimes heavy rain and strong (65 kmph) winds? Tropical Cyclone Nisha. Now over Tamil Nadu, this storm has caused flooding and up to 28 deaths, mostly due to electrocution or walls caving in. Many teachers (particularly those near the Bay of Bengal) were without power since last night. Not me! Finally one benefit of living near the Adyar River and not the sea. We were told to bring along our telephone trees and I saw many a teacher doing the "rain dance" hoping for a day off tomorrow. We'll see...

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