Himachal Pradesh floods: Mumbai family stranded in Manali for 3 days

A family holiday to a newly invested hotel project by their daughterinlaw left a Mumbai family in the lurch amidst the heavy rainfalltriggered landslide in Manali which claimed over twentytwo lives and damaged hundreds of houses and property worth croresThe Sampat family comprising Mithil Sampat his parents cousinsister and her parents were in Manali for the inauguration of the hotel They arrived in Manali on Saturday July 9 2023Rough river during a heavy downpour in ManaliOn Saturday evening the Sampats received a government notification warning of heavy rainfall in the area However they were not able to get any further information about the situation as communication was cut off And on Wednesday as the families managed to head towards Chandigarh airport to board a flight for Mumbai the entire experience was no less than a miracleThe day before the rainRains in Manali can be deceiving In Mumbai we gauge the intensity of rainfall by heavy rains and strong winds In Manali there will be deceptively mild drizzles but the real indicator of danger is the rising river level of the Beas River pointed out Mithil Sampat a lawyer by professionFriends had miraculous escapeOn Sunday morning Sampats friends departed from Manali to go back to Mumbai Their testimony was that en route from Manali to Chandigarh airport they narrowly escaped death several times dangerously small roads and landslides and boulders falling near their car Some of these friends made their peace with God and accepted that they were not going to survive They left early in the morning at 6 am and thereafter electricity and communication were suspended later in the day Because of this neither they could inform the Sampat family of danger nor could the Sampat family communicate with them about their whereaboutsThe Sampats with friends in ManaliNo powerOn Sunday evening there was no electricity at the hotel The Sampats were left without any way to communicate with the outside world as there was no network as well They were also unable to get any information about the roads or the situation in generalReturn plan changedAlso because of suspended communication the Sampats could not coordinate to cancel the flight tickets nor communicate with the airline They were scheduled to come back to Mumbai on Monday night to resume court work from Tuesday onwards ldquoBecause of a communication blackout we could not coordinate with staff and clients and our clients have suffered disastrous outcomes for serious litigation matters We had an important argument on Tuesday to decide the fate of demolition of a building which we were forced not only to miss but also our clients and staff were clueless about our whereaboutsrdquo said Mithil267 deluge flashback The locals staying in Manali said that this scenario dayslong power cuts and suspension of communication services has happened after 30 years and is not at all normal for those residing in Pirni area which has hydropower connectivity As a Mumbaikar this was scarily reminiscent of the July 26 2005 deluge of Mumbai recalled SampatSufficient stock in kitchenldquoWith Gods grace we had our kitchen stocked with food so despite all problems our main priority of food was not affected but it made me wonder what of the locals who needed to travel for food and other essential suppliesrdquo said MithilThe scene on road was worstOn Monday the Sampats attempted to depart from Manali as per their planned schedule However when they set out on the roads they saw the extensive damage from landslides They were forced to turn back and return to the hotel facing inaccessible roadsCode redOn Tuesday the Sampats learnt that the government had issued a code red alert had issued an advisory to stay indoors and to not attempt travel But since all communication was suspended the news did not reach them on time and the lives of their family and friends were at risk to a great extentManali roads cutfuel price doubledSome of the drivers even complained that there was fleecing and overcharging of fuel with diesel being sold at 200 rupees per litre double the normal rateStuck in traffic for hoursOn Tuesday morning the Sampats finally managed to leave Manali They were stuck in a traffic jam for several hours as the roads were still congested They also had to pay inflated prices for fuelldquoBrother Dharmin and bhabhi Priyanka were staying back at the hotel for their hotel work and six of us me cousinsister mom dad and sisters mom and dad departed without being able to communicate with bhai bhabhi and homerdquo said MithilldquoOnce we exited Prini we were faced with another traffic jam from Mandi to Bajora road which took hours as well Later because of landslides Mandi tunnel and highway were closed off and we had to take the dangerous ghat to get to Chandigarh airport which again added 2 hours to our travel timerdquo said MithilHe added ldquoWe had left Manali at 10 am on July 11 Tuesday and we reached a lastminute booked hotel at 4 am on July 12 Wednesday which is about 18 hours of travel with no communication no food and senior citizens We had to incur extra expenses for drivers hotels travel etcrdquoLocal shops run out of stockldquoThe local shops near the traffic jam were emptied and sold out by the departing tourists and commodities like food and water became scarce My parents are senior citizens diabetic and heart patients and I was worried about their health I had to travel by foot for about a kilometre in a hilly area to get some junk food snacks for them from a faraway shop which was the best option available We had only had breakfast and my parents could not be kept hungry for so long without any certainty in travelrdquo said MithilOn Wednesday evening the Sampats finally reached Chandigarh airport and were to board their flight for Mumbai at the time of going to pressJuly 5Day the Sampats arrived in Manali