When Nature Visits Us

A day in 1981

My mind is torn between the bitter memory and my desire to forget the bad moments of the recent September 9th. In 1981, while rendering my professional services to the then Ministry of the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources, specifically in the Watershed Management Division, this same river caused material damage that I had to report and walk to the middle part of the basin to observe the behavior of the Corral Piedras river, get an idea of the probable causes of its behavior downstream and report it all in the description of a few letters and support that writing with the coldness of numbers.   

September 09, 2020

Oiza

It was about 3 o'clock in the afternoon of that Wednesday, when they came to tell me that the river was rising, it was not raining in the lower part, but it was raining in the mountainous area of Henry Pittier National Park. I immediately stopped what I was doing and went to the bridge of "my friend and neighbor THE RIVER".

Certainly, my friend had grown up, roaring with the force of a wild beast and wallowing as I had never seen him before.

A few minutes later, but no more than ten, my wife told me that the river was overflowing and that I had to get the truck out of the house, which I could not do, as something jammed the rear wheel.

The river was beginning to reach the entrance of our house and we proceeded to get on the roof.

I was afraid, in these cases it is impossible to determine the consequences, I was afraid for everything, my family, my neighbors, the house, etc.

I saw how the water entered the house, until three or four trees were crossed at the entrance of my house and the speed of the water slowed down.

trees that protected my house

My thanks to God and the trees

After a while and after the rain stopped, we came home and, of course, everything was in total chaos, women and children crying, curious people walking the street, friends and other neighbors who came to ask about our condition and to tell us about their own experience.... terrible and if the moment was terrible, the recovery was no less so....

Work crews

For 3 days crews of volunteers from the state government worked on the cleaning and recovery of our house. Something that we as a family group would not have been able to face, neither physically nor economically.

Work crews

At times you could only hear the sound of the river water confused with the noise of the machinery and people working, my mind was scattered thinking of countless things, some good, thankful and others bad, like the great concern to face the economic needs.

The chaos of services, drinking water, gas, intermittent electricity, telephone failures, not to mention internet!

I have always heard and even read on occasion that natural events are cyclical, well, this Corral de Piedras river, I will keep it in mind for the next 40 years, then I will be 114 years old, God willing!

Original photographic support and writing
by @oizaguirres. Written for read.cash
Translated with Deepl Pro for free