This is where I get to say that my country, Nigeria is a blessed nation when it comes to natural disasters happening. We don't experience these always but most of the ones we have experienced could actually have been avoided, if we had good leadership in place.
Natural disasters are life-altering for the victims and have been known to leave behind a trail of losses, both of lives and properties, displacements, disabilities, and very deep and emotional scars.
No, I have never been a victim of one, but my students, Lina and her younger brother experienced it firsthand, during a terrifying flood in South East, Nigeria.
Her Narration;
That evening, after the rainstorm, they were both returning home from school, wading their way through the flooded roads before it got dark. Then her brother lost his footing and fell into a very deep but blocked drainage, which had been under construction for God knows how long. The girl instinctively reached out to save her brother at that moment, but the weight of the boy pulled her next into it. They struggled, helpless, as violent currents swept them down and away.
The Good Samaritans' Narration;
From the shops across, three young men who were waiting for the rain to abate saw the two choking in the flood as they were being swept away. They knew they just had to do something to save the siblings, and quickly jumped into action. They battled through the floods and both children were recovered as unconscious, bloodied bodies, covered in debris.
After being pulled out of the water by the rescuers, those two were rushed to the hospital where they would start their slow and painful recovery process.
It was both a traumatizing experience, physically and mentally.
"That they made it alive was nothing short of a miracle", one of the Good Samaritans said.
"We were just there at the right time". Opined another.
The experience undoubtedly left lasting scars, not just the physical wounds( the boy was left blind in one eye), but also the emotional trauma of nearly drowning. It took a long time as they struggled with fear whenever it rained, haunted by the memory of the flood that almost took their lives.
Developed countries understand the key factors that contribute to natural disasters and take decisive steps to address them, to prevent future tragedies from happening or to cushion the effects for the masses, when unavoidable.
Unfortunately, third world countries like mine, allow such tragedies to happen over and over again, without immediate action taken by the relevant authorities, to maintain the infrastructures, like in the case of the abandoned drainage system which has cost a young man an eye.
This is my response to #februaryinleo prompt; The prompt is "have you or your friend being in a natural disaster, how was the recovery?"
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