In a place where everyone is a refugee, one cannot expect to be rescued first and neither can one expect the local people to be too friendly. Principal of Government Medical College, Kozhikode,.C. Ravindran learnt the lesson the hard way, stuck in flooded Srinagar for five days at the mercy of the elements and a few kind local people. Heading home after the ordeal on Saturday, the doctor was eager to narrate his experience.
Dr. Ravindran, along with his wife and a friend and his family, was in Kashmir from September 4 to 11 during when they were stuck in a hotel and later in a hospital for five days. “The rain was not very strong in the initial days and we did engage in some sightseeing. But learning that the situation was getting bad, we decided to set back home by September 7, two days prior to our scheduled departure. However, we couldn’t get out of our hotel, as the water level began to rise too fast. One-and-a-half storeys of our hotel was underwater,” Dr. Ravindran said.
He witnessed small buildings crumbling all around the hotel. Though they had enough food in the beginning, the supply of water ran out after three days and later they ran out of milk and cooking gas. As the water receded, they set out to the nearby helipad where people were being airlifted by the armed forces. “There were around 25,000 people waiting to be airlifted. We knew we would not reach near the copter even if we waited for a week. So we went back and took refuge in a hospital,” he said.
The team did not have to worry about their family back home, as they always had telephone connectivity. However, they were scared about the situation turning violent with the hostile attitude of some local people. “They were not friendly with outsiders. But there were some local people who were very helpful. They were finally rescued from the hospital by the Special Services Group (SSG).
