Are killer bees next?…We survived Cyclone Nisarga unscathed…Photos of damage in Mumbai…

Mumbai cyclone
This is the first such storm to hit Mumbai in over 100 years. Dark clouds hang over the city ahead of cyclone Nisarga making landfall in Mumbai.

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Today’s photos are a result of damage caused by Cyclone Nisarga from this site.

Neither of us had experienced a cyclone/hurricane in our lives. Living in Minnesota, we had plenty of experience with severe storms, and on occasion, tornadoes. But, a cyclone was a new experience, and we had no idea what to expect. 

Mumbai cyclone
The FedEx MD-11 plane skids off the runway while landing during heavy rain as severe cyclonic storm Nisarga made landfall at Mumbai Airport.

Fortunately, (and sadly) there was only one fatality when it could have been many more. As it turned out, Mumbai planned well, and many lives were saved by evacuating thousands of residents and getting fishing boats docked at the shore rather than out to sea.

The damage from high winds and flooding was substantial, but overall the city survived well. Our hotel didn’t incur any apparent wear from what we could determine.

Mumbai cyclone
Sea waves strike at a slum near the Arabian sea as cyclone Nisarga makes its landfall on the city’s outskirts in Mumbai.

During the worst of the storm, we stayed hunkered down in our room, never having the necessity of waiting it out in the corridors. I continued my hourly walks, which allowed me to look out a few windows at the ends of the corridors to see the roofs and parts of buildings flying in the wind.

We are grateful and sad for those who suffered and were disrupted during the storm, especially Covid-19 patients who had to be moved from makeshift tents and outdoor facilities. One can’t imagine their terror when being moved while they were suffering from the devastating effects of the virus.

Mumbai cyclone
The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) shows NDRF personnel clearing fallen trees from a road in Alibag town of Raigad district following cyclone Nisarga landfall on India’s western coast. Cyclone Nisarga ripped roofs off homes in a coastal village near Mumbai after officials ordered offices and factories to shut and told people to stay home, reversing a move to ease a coronavirus lockdown in the Indian megacity.

This morning, my son Richard texted (tongue in cheek), “Will it be killer bees next?”  I wrote back, “Maybe it will be a meteor rushing toward Earth, or Godzilla roaming the streets, or even Sharknado with sharks flying all over the city of Mumbai?”

We say this to inject a little lightness into this otherwise challenging situation. I guess I’ve spent too much time watching “disaster” movies, and now real life is even more frightening than such movies as “Contagion.”

Mumbai cyclonesA family was looking for shelter during rainfall ahead of Cyclone Nisarga’s expected landfall in Navi Mumbai. Heartbreaking.

It’s still raining very hard, and we still can hear thunder as we’re sitting safely ensconced in our comfy chairs with the darkening drapes closed with lamps on in the room. Most days, we’ve kept the drapes closed to keep the room cooler, but in the past few days, we’ve done so to provide some protection from the wall of glass if high winds caused any issues.

We watched the movie “Rocketman,” entertaining us for a few hours during the day and at night, we’ve been binge-watching two TV series; the Scottish show, “Dr. Finlay” and the 60-episode Australian show, “A Place to Call Home” on Acorn TV on Amazon Prime, a genuinely addictive show we’ve found exceptionally entertaining.

Mumbai cyclone
A corporation worker works to clear an uprooted tree that fell on the road during Cyclone Nisarga at Juinagar in Navi Mumbai.

Right now, anything we can do to “get out of our heads” for a few hours each day is worthwhile. As mentioned, at 3:00 pm, we start streaming our favorite shows.

We pause the shows once an hour for my corridor walks, donning a face mask, putting my shoes back on, and carrying my phone with a headset to listen to podcasts to make the walking time pass more quickly. The latest time of the day I embark on the walk is 6:00 pm. Some days, I can finish earlier once I log ten walks for a total of 2 miles, 3.2 km. 
Mumbai cyclone
Vehicles get damaged by uprooted trees due to strong winds after cyclone Nisarga at Sanpada in Navi Mumbai.

Each time I head out the door, I attempt to walk faster than the last time rather than increase the distance. Keeping track of my stats on the Fitbit, I’d purchased in the US has also been a good diversion.

Much to my surprise, Tom has also been exercising by climbing the stairs in the stairwell near our room. He does this each day while our space is being cleaned. It’s good to see him up and moving around instead of sitting in one spot day and night.

Mumbai 15
Damaged billboards due to strong winds triggered by Cyclone Nisarga, at Bandra Reclamation in Mumbai.

Today, we’re back to our usual routine, now that the worst of the cyclonic storm is moving through with minor damage. 

Yesterday, we read a news story that South Africa won’t open its international travel borders until February 2021. Oh.

Mumbai cyclone
People scramble to enter a truck during an evacuation of a slum on the Arabian sea coast in Mumbai on Wednesday, as Cyclone Nisarga makes landfall.

Have as pleasant a day as you can as we all continue to make our way through this pandemic.

Photo from one year ago today, June 4, 2019:

Front door view from this property we’d booked one year ago, from August 23, 2019, to September 6, 2019.  The cost for 14 nights is Euro 2125, US $2395.96, which averages to Euro 151.75, US $171.14. This amount is higher than we’d usually pay, but we’ve balanced the budget by choosing varying prices on all four properties.  For the listing on this cottage, please click here. For more details from this post, please click here.

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