Landslides!

Maybe we should start by saying up front that we are all fine, by God's grace. Neither we nor the Wrights nor any of the church members or any of our friends and neighbors were harmed by the landslides. This is a miracle in my opinion and is also my disclaimer to put you at ease!

On May 26, after two days of fierce rain from Cyclone Aila in the Bay of Bengal, Darjeeling succumbed to dozens and dozens of landslides. The landslides kept everyone isolated from each other for a couple days until roads could be reopened and power and communications restored. There were about 30 deaths in the Darjeeling district, including one in the village where we (Lovitts) live. We were able to snap a couple photos in our immediate area once the rain stopped - thank God for answered prayers to stop the rain! For more pictures follow this link to a local Darjeeling website: Darjeeling Times - Land slide pictures

One landslide was really close to home. In fact, one house stands between us and the landslide - our neighbor's house just below us. This photo was taken looking straight down from our neighbor's flat roof. The guys worked in the pouring rain to lay these tarps. They act as a big umbrella of sorts to keep the ground from staying saturated and eroding further.



In this picture you can see how close the edge of the landslide came to the house. There was a lot of concern that the foundation of the house would be compromised.



This one is on the road to our house. One man walking on the road was killed and the owner of the house on the left (outside frame of picture) was buried but miraculously taken out alive with a broken leg. Where the men are standing is where the road passes through.



Rocks in the road...



This mess came down on top of a house in the neighborhood. The men are trying to clean up, saw up the trees, etc so they can address the damage. The haze is from a cloud passing through.



You can see two more landslides on the hillside adjacent to our house.