Are we Ready for a repeat of 26th July!!
Yesterday was the 1st day of rain and I saw many roads flooded,the water almost entering in a zen.
If you are not interested in reading my experience then there is a list of some tips,have a look at it ,it may help you!
Heres what happened yesterday to me!
I had to travel from Bandra to Andheri.
At about 3:30pm I leave my house,my ikon comes from the basement.
We all sit in it ,as soon as the driver starts the wiper they go for a round and come back,at the start of the second round they get stuck to each other and then I hear a "screeching" noise,I felt as if my heart was being scratched by a knife,i quickly ask the driver to shut them off! (they were working fine before that)
I check to see if everything is ok,but the heavy rain make difficult to feel if there was a scratch on the windshield or not.
It was as if my Ikon is saying me that " I am not going to move in this kind of weather!
Next we replace the ikon with our zen,it was working fine had serviced it a day before only,the wipers work fine.
Now we are on our way ,we travel through many pot holes and many flooded lanes.
As we reach linking road,my Zen says, enough I am not going to move now and shuts down.
My dad says lets go to home and then it suddenly starts,we go to our grandfathers home.
Now the rain is slow and almost stop,we replace the Zen with a Corolla,it works fine we reach Andheri in about an hour.
On my way I saw many huge trees fallen,more than 30 rickshaws struggling to start.
So, are my cars trying to say that we wont move in this kind of weather??
(My Ikon was stuck on Goregaon Highway on 26th July and my zen was in a garage..)
Also I feel we can have a repeat of 26th July because if something like this happens on the 1st day,what will it be when it rains continoulsy and during high tides???
Guys lets get prepared for it from now.
Here are some tips from a driver who doesnt drive,which I think will help during this season.
TIPS:- 1.Get your car checked,make sure your all your lights, wiper,engine and all mechanical parts are working.
2.Check for loose end of wires,as they can lead to a short circuit.
3.Always keep your windows slightly open when travelling in a flooded area,if you get stuck you can shout for help or even force the window down.
4.Keep a hammer or anything that can help to break the glass in case of emergency.But I think it may be of less use if you have some kind of film on the glass.
5.Dont use AC when travelling in flooded area also if possible keep the vent closed.
6.Keep some water,flashlights and food with you,you may not need it but others will.
7.Keep a 1st Aid box in you dash board all cars have one in the trunk.
8.Stop listening to your CDs instead listen to Radios, they will play some songs and provide you with useful information.
9.Use your dim lights,also if needed use your fog lamps(not this huge hella types,but the oem ones)
10.Incase you cant see the road under you, drive near the road divider,mostly the road doesnt have man holes there.
11.If possible help others,by giving them lift,food,water,etc...
12.Keep a mobile phone charger in your car,helps when you get stuck for a day.
13.If you leave your car on road,please park it so that rescue team can travel through the road.Most people park them in middle of the road.
14.If the water level is rising leave your car (dont worry it will be back in shape if you are alive) and take shelter in a building or somewhere at a height.
15.If you are somewhere and its raining heavy stay there till the rain stops or move out when it time for low tide.
16.People parking their cars in basement keep in mind that during high tide and heavy rain your drainage in the basement will act opposite,and fill it with dirt,get you cars out of there as soon as possible,if once that gets inside your car,it will smell like s*%! for days.
17.When in a flooded area keep your cars in low gear and dont stop revving (you can sacrifice you fuel efficiency for a day), if once the car stops it will be very diffiicult to start it.
18.Bike riders I dont know how to ride one but always travel behind some car and if possible keep looking at it wheels to know where are the potholes and yes dont stop revving!!
19.I dont know this is right or not,but changing the direction of your exhaust in such a way that water doesnt go in it may help.
20.If you think we will face another 26th July lets gather some money buy some Hummer,get some boats on top and lets start a Rescue Team!!!
Guys I may be wrong somewhere,but this is what Ihave learnt from others and my experiences!!
Lets pray to GOD that we dont have to see another 26th July!!!