FLASHBACK FROM MY MEMORY (THE DEVASTATING EARTHQUAKE

30^th April, 2015

I don’t know how, when and from where to start writing about the nightmare we need to face. The local time here shows that it is 10:11 a.m. It has already been six days that we faced 7.6 rector scale earthquake. It feels like it was a dream that I saw buildings being collapsed. All the world heritage of my country collapsed within some seconds and I saw the dead body as if they are in deep sleep.  Oh my god! I wish it would be a dream but this is not a dream, it is a reality, a bitter reality.  I am not happy that I survived from this disaster to see the destruction of nature and destruction of my beautiful country.

FLASHBACK FROM MY MEMORY (THE DEVASTATING EARTHQUAKE)

Day 1

I was quiet busy early in the morning though the weather was not so good. I prepared the food but didn’t get time to eat. I checked the time and it was 11:50 a.m. I was feeding my daughter and was about to change her diaper. At the same time the earthquake occurred. At first, I couldn’t understand what was happening. At a moment later, I knew that it was earthquake and I was at the top of three storey building and my daughter was still in the bed. I couldn’t reach to her so Sampada (one of the students) brought her to the gate. The building started swinging. We three remain at the gate. I heard my glass table being crashed and I couldn’t enter in my room.  I heard people screaming. I was also terrified but I couldn’t run as I was carrying my six month old daughter neither I dared to change her diaper. The earthquake stopped for a minute and I tried to come downstairs but it started again. We three remain stuck at the top floor.  Some minutes later, we ran to the ground floor. As we reached to the ground floor the building started swinging again and cracking were seen in the house. We all were terrified by the time but couldn’t move anywhere from there as there was a fear of being injured. The weather had been so cold, I felt the chilling weather and the day was so dark. Then I understood that the weather was different that day because we were waiting for the disaster. We could feel the earthquake with the wind. About  an hour later, we came out of the home leaving our room unlocked and outside people told us that the Cahabil area was completely destroyed and a seven storey building nearby our home collapsed where  more than 200 people were praying in the church. We (me and my father in law) went to see the collapsed building. Almost all the people were outside their house and the earthquake was still shaking the earth. When I reached the place, people with police force were busy rescuing people as well as dead body. By that time 48 dead bodies were found and some people were busy counting the dead body.

We came to an open space with fearful mind. We couldn’t go back home. The evening was getting colder. We decided to spend that night on the ground. Nobody dared to go home to bring the tent.  It started getting the dark. Earthquake was shaking the earth time and again. I could see a house nearly being crashed from the ground. There was nothing to eat. We were able to manage little food for more than thirty people. My daughter needed to depend on me for her food. I knew that it was the most uncomfortable night for her but I couldn’t do anything. None of us could sleep. We could feel earthquake time and again the whole night.

Day 2

We felt earthquake early in the morning. I came to another tent because my daughter needed to drink milk. The day was still dark. We managed food for her. Deep inside I was feeling a great loss because I saw things being collapsed and still the earthquake was shaking earth including my mind and inner heart. I was thinking about the families who lost their family members and those who lost their beautiful houses that were constructed to be protected. I felt as if the time has stopped moving because it was dark. I could see people being injured. There was sadness among the people. The day passed with grim face and the night was terrible again. There was no space to sleep. My daughter slept in my lap and I remained awake.  

Day 3

The third day was yet not comfortable. We could still feel the earthquake.  We were already facing the lack of drinking water. We were waiting the time to be 72 hours patiently however, it started raining lightly. By the time we experienced earthquake several times. We were terrified again and made plan to stay under the tent again. The colder night was unpleasant again. My daughter suffered from cough. I couldn’t move anywhere by getting the news that there will be another earthquake again and we would see the more disaster. Similarly, I heard that the swine-flu patients were found nearby the place I was living.

Oh my god! Fear of death everywhere. I don’t know where to go. Still waiting,  the life to be normal again.