Felipe Altamirano Alvarez Espadachín
It seemed like as if the sky was puking after drinking too much. It was raining heavily - more than how it has rained in ages. The streets had begun flooding.
Bolivia is no stranger to heavy rainfall, but the weather today was the worst weather we had ever seen.
I stared at my watch, wondering how I would pick up my son from The La Paz Convention Center, where he was attending the Latin America Model United Nations Conference (LATAM-MUN).
He called me telling me that because of the heavy rains, the organizers had ended the event prematurely. The areas near the Convention Center have begun flooding, he told me.
The organizers feared that if they didn't let the children go after ending the event, they would be stranded at the Convention Center.
I opened Twitter and checked the Twitter account of LATAM-MUN to check if they had posted anything. There were no new tweets posted after the last tweet they posted where they asked the parents and guardians of the attendees to collect their wards as soon as possible.
I put my phone down and looked at the road which was crowded with vehicles. Everyone in La Paz was trying to get to their homes as soon as possible. Offices dismissed their employees early. Schools let their children leave campus early. The Police and the Army were busy calling their employees to report to duty as soon as possible. Some citizens were offering their private boats and cars to the Police and the Army so that the Police and the Army could use those vehicles to carry out search and rescue operations. The Police also had cleared the Bolivian side of Lake Titicaca of boats because heavy winds were blowing over the surface of the waters.
Bored, I turned on the radio and the classic Mi Carro by Manolo Escobar was playing. All private radio stations had to evacuate their employees from their offices in precaution, so they left their transmissions on autoplay.
It was pouring heavily, and the roar of thunder was heard. I was tapping the steering wheel with my fingers as I listened to that old classic when I received a notification on my phone. I looked at my phone which was near the gearbox, charging. I lifted it and opened the notification. The Government had tweeted something.
The Bolivian Government instructed all those who lived in and around La Paz to return to their homes as soon as possible. I then opened Whatsapp and saw that there were two unread messages from my son. Since there was no movement on the road as a result of the traffic jam, I proceeded to respond to my son's messages.
He asked me where I was, for which I told him that I was stuck in traffic. He then told me that the areas near the first level of the Convention Center (where the non-VIPs can pick up and drop who they want to) were flooded and that I should use the ramp to the VIP pick up and drop area to pick him up from the Second level.
I was very worried about the traffic, because after 30 minutes since I came into this road, I was only able to move 4 meters.
The rain continued to drum my roof and pour down my windshield. Many pedestrians were crossing the road, trying to navigate through the stuck cars. I could hear the horns of angry drivers blaring.
On Instagram, the student delegates at LATAM MUN were posting a lot about the flooding there.
One kid got 670 likes and 199 comments within just 5 minutes of posting about the rains. That tells one how trending the issue of the rains was.
Claire Dakota
Wolfgang Academy, Wolfgang Estate, State of Wyoming, United States
7:30 pm.
I was Headmistress Longhorn's assistant.
That evening, I was working on some emails that I needed to send to the Collegeboard and NEASC.
The school had applied to Collegeboard two years earlier for authorization to teach Advanced Placement (AP) courses in the institution, and we received permission only a month ago. I was sending some things, on Ms. Longhorn's behalf, to them.
I also had to email NEASC to inform them that the school is ready to welcome their assessors.
I occasionally took a look outside the window as I worked. The night was calm.
I was so relieved that the grade 10s were not there in the building.
If they were there, I would have been pranked mercilessly by the Finkleberry twins.
Oh, How I missed the Finkleberry twins!
Just a few weeks before they left, they pranked me by putting lots of styrofoam cups filled with water, on the floor of my office. My office's floor was covered entirely by water-filled styrofoam cups. Though I was annoyed by what they did, I couldn't help laughing at how clever they were with that one. If I taught a course called 'Dakota's Art of Pranks', they'd certainly get an A. The day when they pranked me with those cups, I couldn't walk to my desk directly; for, if I did that I would upset the cups which were filled with water. Therefore, I had to lift each cup one by one and throw the water out before reaching my desk.
The best prank they ever did was a month before that. They did it on that last day of their final examinations. Rhett and Tom Finkleberry covered the doorway of the examination hall with plastic wrap. It was so hilarious to look at the invigilator's face when the invigilator, of the exam that they had just finished before pulling up that prank, walked into the wrapped doorway. She was covered with wrap because she was texting on her phone when she headed towards the corridor. Because she was texting she couldn't see clearly that the Finkleberry boys had covered the doorway with plastic wrap. To infuriate her further, as she came out of the doorway covered in plastic wrap, the boys threw confetti into the air. I swear that I saw even Headmistress Longhorn's face twitch into a smile when I told them about the prank.
As much as no one likes being the victim of one of the Finkleberry boys' prank, we all love the Finkleberry twins because they bring something important to the school community. The students in Wolfgang are all orphans. Some of them lost their parents in very tragic ways. So, if it wasn't for the Finkleberry twins always coming up with something funny, the school would have been a very depressing place with children thinking about their tragic past, with no means of distraction.
At 7:45 pm, Ms. Longhorn left her office and headed to her apartment (which was across my office), while I was working on the emails that I had to send. She greeted me and left me a piece of black forest cake on her way out. I thanked her.
At about 8:00 pm, I opened CNN.
Felipe Altamirano Alvarez Espadachín
I was still quite far from the Convention Center. It was 8.00 pm and I was still in the traffic jam. The water came up to our knees. Some cars' engines had turned off because water entered them. They struggled to start.
I was helping the Traffic Police. I am a Police Officer, and I know that back then I was off-duty because I had to pick up my son. I was part of La Policía Nacional and the job of helping the Traffic Police wasn't in my job description at all. But once a Police Officer always a Police Officer. Being a Police Officer isn't my job… it is my duty. My duty doesn't end when I leave the station. It doesn't end at all. Wherever I may be, when the citizens of Bolivia and the sojourners here are in danger or are in need of help, it is my duty to help them, even risking my life should it be necessary.
It is quite sad that there is much hate towards Police Officers in the United States. People simply don't realize the great sacrifices we Police Officers make to ensure that those under our care sleep peacefully and safely.
While I was helping the Traffic Police, an important headline appeared on news channels.
Headmistress Longhorn
It was at 8.45 pm when I finished showering. I then decided to watch some TV. When I had just removed my prosthetic limb and began to rest on my sofa, with my favorite soap opera on the television, Claire was at my door.
She began to knock.
I was too tired to put on my prosthetic limb and open the door, so I told her, "Claire use the keys on my desk and open my door, please."
There was some silence. I understood that Claire went to grab the keys from where I had told her to grab them from.
On top of my television set, on the wall, was the emblem of the Wolfgang School. The founders of Wolfgang were from one of the wealthiest families in Wyoming. It was so noble of them for helping to create a way in which these orphaned children could have a great future.
They could have chosen to squander their wealth on luxuries, but they chose, instead, to help these children at Wolfgang have a bright future.
Claire had entered my room after ten minutes. She came to me with a worried look on her face.
She began," Ms. Longhorn, I just opened CNN and heard that there's heavy rainfall in Bolivia, East Brazil, North Chile, Northwestern Paraguay, and Southern Peru. It's so heavy… so heavy that it began flooding in some parts of these countries. I just was worried about our kids."
I listened to her express her worry about the weather.
I thought for a while and then said, "Oh Claire! Don't worry about them. The rainfall won't last for long. These are countries with rainforests, so heavy rainfall is not something strange. Even if the rainfall is something serious, we don't have to worry because the children are in good hands. I have full confidence that Michael and Christina will be with them and take care of them."
Felipe Altamirano Alvarez Espadachín
After some pylons had collapsed, power supply was turned off 40 minutes ago.
It was 9.30 pm when I had just moved 90 meters from where I was at 2.30 pm that afternoon. I was still very far from my son. Ignacio (my son, Nacho) messaged me telling me that water had already reached the floor where all the students were gathered.
It was very dark where he was because of the blackout.
The escalators of the Convention Center, that provided access to the first level of the building, were completely underwater.
The headline dominating the news online was that of the collapse of the dam La Madre De Princesa Irene. Reports also revealed that most of the Bolivian Army's helicopters were at a base downriver from La Madre. That could only mean that when La Madre vomited all the water she held back after her collapse, the helicopters were destroyed.
As I was thinking about the helicopters, my radio crackled to life.
"Señor Teniente, a 3 kilómetros de su ubicación, hay un grupo de turistas chinos atrapados en su hotel. ¿Puede ayudarlos?", said the operator.
"Sí, Yo voy," I said, as I got out of my car, and asked some civilians who were stuck in the traffic jam to come with me.
I was asked to rescue a group of Chinese tourists who were stranded in their hotel. They were 3 kilometers away from my location
Shifaly Udawatte
I was feeling very scared. I just heard what happened to La Madre. The roads leading to Puerto Grande (the closest city) were damaged by landslides that followed the heavy rain and winds. We were stranded near La Abuela De Princesa Irene, with no way out. It was still heavily pouring.
It was very dark because there was no electricity. The only lights we had were those from the candles that Ms. Dayani gave us after the blackout. We didn't have dinner as usual because the dam staff that hosted us couldn't cook because of the blackout. So, they brought us some packets Doritos and Cheetos for us to fill our stomachs with the snacks.
Some Bolivian children, who came yesterday and who were staying in the building that neighbored the building where we stayed, expressed worry about La Abuela De Princesa Irene. They said that if La Madre collapsed, only parts of the rainforest would be flooded, but if La Abuela collapsed, it would be a serious disaster not only because La Abuela held back more water than La Madre but also because it was La Abuela that kept the river Princesa Irene from flowing through her original course.
Thunder roared louder than before. The storm was fierce. The tree in front of our accommodation was totally uprooted by the winds at about 6.30 pm. Our cabin began to shake. Everyone was worried. A sense of gloom and nervousness filled the air. I continued to stare at the window, in worry.
Felipe Altamirano Alvarez Espadachín
I stayed with the Chinese tourists after rescuing them. My uniform was completely wet. After three hours of being with the tourists, one of the remaining helicopters of the Army came to airlift the tourists. I later learned that they were not even Chinese. They were some students from Cebu, Philippines.
At 2:30 a.m, the next day, I was finally able to reach the Convention Center, via an Army airlift. All who were stranded in the Convention Center were airlifted to safety, including my son.