Tales of despair

DESTRUCTION and personal devastation greeted many curious onlookers on Saturday morning as residents of Windhoek’s Acacia Park returned to their homes to pick up the pieces of their lives that weren’t washed away in the torrential waters of the Arrebbusch River on Friday night.

Signs of the previous night’s panic greeted visitors to the area: shoes stuck in the mud over the bridge where many residents tried to make their escape. As pick-ups arrived to load up mud-soaked furniture and other personal effects, victims of the floods recollected their nightmares.”When I looked out of my window I just saw a car rising and floating past like in a Harry Potter movie,” one resident said.Most agreed that it all happened too fast for them to have considered what action to take.”You don’t have time to think,” said Patricia Pickering.”I just got jackets and shoes for the kids and left”.She said she was watching television when her neighbour across the road rushed over after the flood waters started buffeting her house which is right on the banks of the river.Only when she opened the front door did she realise that the water had already entered her garage where most of her belongings had been stored while she unpacked.”We are definitely not going to buy this house.Thank goodness we only rent it,” Pickering told The Namibian.Across the road from her the McNally family had just finished sweeping tons of mud from their home.They had only lived there for a few weeks.They are deciding whether or not to move their furniture.”I was thinking of burglaries and security when I bought this house.The last thing I was thinking of was water,” said an exhausted Alta McNally.She hadn’t slept a wink since leaving her house the night before.”When I looked out of the kitchen window and saw our car swaying I realised we had to go.Luckily we could get our other car out of the garage although the water had reached the bumpers already”.Theirs was one of several cars reported to have been swept away by the force of the water.Luckily the thick mud prevented it from being lost to them forever – coming to a stop several houses away.If anything good came of Friday night’s tragedy, it is the bond that has been forged by residents who until the waters came, had not really taken the time to get to know each other.”At least everyone came together and helped each other get out of the houses,” said Pickering as she made her way to a friend across the road to help her salvage her belongings.As pick-ups arrived to load up mud-soaked furniture and other personal effects, victims of the floods recollected their nightmares. “When I looked out of my window I just saw a car rising and floating past like in a Harry Potter movie,” one resident said. Most agreed that it all happened too fast for them to have considered what action to take. “You don’t have time to think,” said Patricia Pickering. “I just got jackets and shoes for the kids and left”. She said she was watching television when her neighbour across the road rushed over after the flood waters started buffeting her house which is right on the banks of the river. Only when she opened the front door did she realise that the water had already entered her garage where most of her belongings had been stored while she unpacked. “We are definitely not going to buy this house. Thank goodness we only rent it,” Pickering told The Namibian. Across the road from her the McNally family had just finished sweeping tons of mud from their home. They had only lived there for a few weeks. They are deciding whether or not to move their furniture. “I was thinking of burglaries and security when I bought this house. The last thing I was thinking of was water,” said an exhausted Alta McNally. She hadn’t slept a wink since leaving her house the night before. “When I looked out of the kitchen window and saw our car swaying I realised we had to go. Luckily we could get our other car out of the garage although the water had reached the bumpers already”. Theirs was one of several cars reported to have been swept away by the force of the water. Luckily the thick mud prevented it from being lost to them forever – coming to a stop several houses away. If anything good came of Friday night’s tragedy, it is the bond that has been forged by residents who until the waters came, had not really taken the time to get to know each other. “At least everyone came together and helped each other get out of the houses,” said Pickering as she made her way to a friend across the road to help her salvage her belongings.