Saturday, November 22, 2008

Rainy Season

Officially, the rainy season in Venezuela runs from May to October with August being the rainiest month. However, apparently this year's rainy season was not quite as water-logged as normal and evidently Mother Nature is picking up the slack this month. It has rained nearly every day in November already, usually only micro-bursts to keep things looking lush and green and the humidity at bearable levels. But, yesterday afternoon is started to rain, pour actually. We had a torrential downpour for 10 hours accompanied by spectacular lightening and thunder claps so loud car alarms spontaneously set off all over the city.

As I've mentioned before, Caracas is set amongst a series of hills many of which did not survive the heavens opening last night. Scores of people sat in traffic for hours last evening eventually abandoning their cars and trudging home through rain and mud. Mudslides covering major thoroughfares turned the bad traffic of Caracas into a parking lot as commuters made their way to work this morning. I dropped Kenny off a quarter mile from the Embassy because it was as close as we could get with mudslides on either side shutting off all points of entry, and he still had to walk through the mud to get there. As I have sat in traffic today I have watched legions of dump trucks filled to overflowing with the mineral-rich, red dirt of Venezuela endlessly moving back and forth to clear the roads. There are downed trees everywhere and many buildings in danger of slipping off their foundations. It is a disaster. Living in a third world country is complicated, living in a third world country when disaster strikes is indescribable. Luckily with all the destruction and loose earth cascading about there have only been 7 reported deaths. The rain has abated for now and we can see blue sky on the horizon, but November isn't over yet...rain, rain, go away, come again next season.




23 comments:

Kristy said...

That's insane...and a heck of a lot of water. Truly devastating for people whose homes are on the hills.

Mibi and Lee said...

Wow...I thought that BYU field flooding was bad LOL!!! Id be scared to live on a hill there but I guess thats better than being on the bottom where all the houses on the hill land! Im assuming you are in a safe area? Or you wouldnt be blogging:-)

Jana and BJ said...

I guess that is a little different than the rain storms in Hawaii. Devastating nonetheless. I'll send thoughts of dry weather for you.

Adrianne said...

Wow. My experience here has taught me that disaster usually is the result of something mildly extreme combined with total lack of preparation ... Not that I blame the Venezuelans for the fact that they most likely lacked enforced building codes and flood prevention measures, but you just realize how much easier it is to prevent rather than repair.

Martababe said...

That is CRAZY weather. I can't believe you are out there taking pictures. I would fear that house would fall on me. My brother Bruce served his mission there and he talked the rain. He said is would be a wall of water coming down.

The Songer said...

The mudslides look terrible! Does it remind you of Laie..... or was any one playing flag football in the middle of the roads? LOL! So Ive never lived in a third world country before, I would have thought the US embassy would have been the first to close and shut down! Glad you guys are safe!

Mibi and Lee said...

The cake is EASY. Use a regular store bought mix and follow all the directions for the temp, time, etc BUT...for the ingredients do 1 c. water, 1 c. MAYO (yes mayo and use best foods) and 3 eggs. It comes out fluffy and moist and SOOO good. And instead of frosting, I usually put a thin layer of choc pudding and then top with cool whip. YUM

Hazen5 said...

No way! I feel really bad for complaining about my sunny weather. I hope you are all doing okay!

Anonymous said...

wow..very intense. glad you guys are okay.
lindsay

Cassidy said...

Crazy rain. Hard to believe that happens every year...and people still live there. Must be like Malibu =)

Tristan said...

The only way I know how to have just a solid color background, is to use the minama template. There may be another template that might work, I haven't really looked in a while though.

jesse said...

Some of these comments seem to be commenting on a post different from this one, and I seemed to have missed their posts altogether. The joys of blogging--ok, TITI (This is the Internet--who's surprised?) Dad

Bridget said...

Thanks for visiting my blog. I never thought I was cool enough to have a lurker. :)

Wow, you are living an adventure! Those pictures are incredible. That's a lot of mud. I definitely won't be complaining about our constant Northwest drizzle of rain.

lis said...

I miss the sound of rain, we have so much of it back in Houston and it reminds me so much of home!!! I DON'T miss the fears of what rain, and thunder, and lightening can do!
I pray for the Venezuelan people as they recover.
I'm so glad you guys are ok!!! :)

MsTypo said...

If we still lived in Kenya this would be the tail end of the short rains. Whereas here in Egypt we have no rain at all. I know how scary that kind of flooding can be. Stay safe! :)

Kahanu said...

That's crazy! I hope you guys are staying safe! I miss the rain, the days of school getting canceled, and watching a good game of mud football!

calibosmom said...

Oh my goodness-that is so scary! Be carefull and stay safe!!!

Ilene said...

You are going to have the best stories for your grandchildren. Good luck at staying dry!

Sandi said...

those pictures are insane!

Sandi said...

those pictures are insane!

diane said...

That is some crazy weather. Glad you are all safe.

Lauren in GA said...

Linsey...I hope you all stay safe. I am at a loss for something to say. You are going through so much in your time there. You say things so calmly. You are very brave and a really great example to me. I am not just saying that. I need to be more grateful. I am complaining it is too hot in Georgia. I deserve to be slapped.

Grayson Family said...

That is unbelievable.

 

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