The day the floods came for me

Staff Writer | Thursday March 6, 2025 13:35

The Monitor staffer, Goitsemodimo Kaelo reflects on the experience of being left stranded after his house was flooded

In the aftermath of a natural disaster, finding the right words to describe how I feel as a victim has been very overwhelming. Whilst I generally like rainfall, it has been very difficult to come to terms with the situation that I find myself in following the torrential downpour.

The rains left numerous people stranded and their assets damaged as the rising waters of the Notwane River submerged homes. I was displaced from my rented house in Tlokweng, with my property badly damaged. I stay along the Jamali Road towards the Royal Aria Stadium, which is one of the areas that were badly affected by the water from the Notwane River.

Rain often brings beautiful emotions. However, seeing the waters that brought mud and every dirt gushing through my door, I instantly became emotionally drenched. To say I was miserable would be an understatement because I felt angry, frustrated, sad, and dejected all at once.



I resigned myself to being destitute in a flash. It was a distressing picture that emerged as I became empty. It was hard to believe this was really happening as I watched some of my recently acquired property floating on water. Although I had tried to prepare for the situation by placing some of my goods on higher surfaces on top of bricks, it didn't help.

Faced with the possibility of being swallowed by Gaborone Dam, ironically, I also could still see the funny side of my predicament. The situation made me think of the Biblical story of Noah in the book of Genesis. I wondered if God wanted to cleanse the Earth of the wicked as we are told in the story. Whilst this was happening, council workers were going around issuing calls for evacuation to emergency centres. I stubbornly couldn't believe this was real. Whilst it wasn't the first time we had experienced flooding at this place, the water levels were higher this time. I felt lonely, resigned to fate, and left everything to God. I spent the whole weekend at a colleague's place whilst waiting for the waters to subside.

I struggled to share my devastating story with anyone who cared to ask about my situation because it always evoked that picture and those emotions when the water gushed through the door of my house. For some time now, I have been sleeping on a bed that has been soaked by water and stripped of my dignity.

Whilst no one can ever say they have become familiar with pain, I think my recent situation has made me a little numb. I know some have suffered more or were harder hit but it really wasn't easy to come to terms with my situation.

The anxiety, the fear of the unknown was taking its toll on me. I have tried to appreciate this pain, just so I could divert my attention to feeling nothing and stay positive but it's not easy.

Although I'm faced with the difficult and harsh reality of having to start afresh and replace some of the damaged properties, the positive from this ordeal, if any, is that these torrential rains were just a reminder of the dangerous effects of climate change.