The devastating floods of 2018 and the sudden loss of livelihood and possessions will be etched in the memory of Keralites for many years to come. The lashing floods came without warning and ravaged life and limb. Aid from the commoners was rendered without fear or favour; hundreds of young men, especially the fisherfolk, provided yeomen service to the marooned.But long ago in my childhood, I was one among the hundreds of victims of an unprecedented devastating flood in Gampola, Sri Lanka. We lived in a town that was straddled between valleys. A river called the Mahaweli Ganga flowed from the hills down to the lowlands.
Far away, near the hills of Nuwara Eliya, a dam gave way, flooding almost all the towns on its path. It was around midnight when my father, rising from his sleep, stepped into knee-deep water. Realising the gravity of the situation, he quickly bundled us up and rushed us to a higher ground.
The mansion of a Dr Rudolph was on higher ground. And soon his house was filled with all of the townsfolk who managed to escape. The good doctor and his wife just kept the house open, unmindful of the influx of people who were occupying every available nook and corner. The doctor even went about dispensing medicines to the sick and the elderly.
Early next morning as the sun rose, two Muslim merchants brought sacks of consumable that they managed to retrieve from their shops. All the women pitched in, and us children played quietly amidst the sound of the pelting rain and the roar of the waters. No help came from government agencies or community service units as it was too early to expect relief material.
A few harrowing days went by; the water receded from the town, and it limped back to normalcy. Bonded by trauma, the townsfolk helped each other build their lives back. Young people went from home to home, helping clean up the muck left by the raging waters. Perhaps the most heartwarming incident was when the arterial road of the town was repaired manually by the bricklayers and masons in town. News of the disaster was reported in the leading paper and over radio, but since the media wasn’t as savvy back then, it couldn’t create so much noise.
Betty Kuriyan
Email: bkuriyan@gmail.com