Monday, May 06, 2024 | Shawwal 26, 1445 H
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EDITOR IN CHIEF- ABDULLAH BIN SALIM AL SHUEILI

When rains bring tragedy not joy...

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Weather is not always predictable as sometimes brings awfully surprises! Rain, for instance, is random with its associated disturbances like winds, storms, floods, or over-flowing wadis or even hailstorms. Such impacts are anticipated usually when it rains cats and dogs! It happens on some days of the year in our country where when it rains heavily wadis flow all over blocking roads.


Though, rain usually signifies happiness, hope, love and relief. It comes to refresh both people and land as it revives life on the land and hopes of people. However, sometimes it brings a sign of stress and frustration for some people as they get trapped in their homes or neighbourhoods, especially those living near mountains or valleys. All of a sudden when it rains, their homes get surrounded by water as if they are staying on an island.


As a precautionary measure, some people sacrifice the joyous moments of rain to leave their homes to avoid gettign stuck in floods. Such incidents bring hardships or even tragic experiences, which people are experiencing and properties are severely affected too. People are getting scared as over-flowing wadis or floods near their homes. It is heartbreaking when we see people are affected by such harsh weather conditions.


Though it is very rare when rains bring fear, but lately people have experienced tough times during rains. The recent incident where 10 school children were drowned in a wadi and many other young and elderly people lost lives in different parts of the country. Unfortunately, drowning in wadis is happening very often and the lesson is not being learnt even the hard way!


However, losing 10 children in one incident is very tragic indeed. They had to experience a miserable way of fighting with death as they had been rolled over in their car in a flooding wadi. A relative who took them in a car struggled to save them but in vain.


Possibly, his reckless decision and driving was the reason behind the car being pulled away by the overflowing waters.


Other school students were also sent by school buses to their homes but some were blocked by wadis on the way. Therefore, students were kept in masjids until late afternoon. This was very horrifying and panicking experience for students who were left alone with no food and beverages the whole day. Likewise, parents were stressed looking for their children who left their schools and did not reach home!


That first day of the week-long adverse weather condition was very terrible and heartbreaking. With students and other victims found dead, others still lost in the wadis, parents roaming around here and there looking for their children, the day was a tragedy for all. The terrifying experience and hard times were particularly experienced by a certain part of the country. However, the heartbreak was felt by everyone in the nation!


Can someone imagine how painful that was?! Undoubtedly, it is beyond expectation; losing children in such a freaking way, school students and teachers were in a horrible situation. Another pitiful scenario was seeing many cars belonging to school teachers floating in the wadi while they were struggling to save their lives and students too during the storm in a school building. Teachers and students alike experienced a day in the life like in a Hollywood movie! Whose responsibility was this?!


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