Curse of Fengal: Harrowing experience of a visitor in flooded Chennai

A recent, potentially-life-threatening, experience provided me with a specific curse for anyone who wrongs either me, or any of my loved ones, to get panic-stricken.

It is different, however, that when such a situation arises, my pique of this moment would have, in all likelihood, evaporated.

A wedding and a cyclone

It began with an invitation to a wedding reception in Chennai which could not have been skipped. Weeks after all bookings were made, news emerged of the impending cyclone, Fengal, moving towards Tamil Nadu, Sri Lanka, and long stretches of the Indian East Coast.

Weather forecasts indicated the wind turbulence would make its first contact with land the day after the reception, but by then, we expected to be back in air, homewards.

Rain was predicted, heavy too, but beyond that, it seemed that the world would continue with its normal businesses.

Also read: Cyclone Fengal: Watch IndiGo plane’s harrowing landing bid in Chennai

No hint of a catastrophe

The wedding reception was literally wet. But it did not dampen spirits and it was full of standard inclusions — warm welcomes, loud congratulations, merry exchanges with the newlyweds and their elders, chats with friends and colleagues and, of course, mandatory photo sessions. There was no talk of the impending cyclone.

A hurried look at news channels in the morning, as we readied ourselves to head for the airport, provided information that landfall was expected near Puducherry towards night and, although it was raining, the city appeared normal.

However, people were warned to evacuate if living in the coastal localities and also not to needlessly travel.

All normal, until…

For people like us, who have only read about or seen cyclone-hit regions on TV before, everything appeared normal although several roads were waterlogged.

After paying off and thanking the cabbie, we headed towards the entry gates. That was when realisation dawned that there was a problem at hand. The gates were clogged and the milling crowd with anxiety and anger writ on their face came into sight.

We gathered that the entry gates were shut as the airport had ceased operations some time ago and would remain shut till weather improved.

But this information was not readily available. Even the airlines (IndiGo in our case) had not sent this vital information on our phones.

Also read: Aviation turbulence | India’s passenger growth boom masks underlying challenges

Delayed response

In the foyer outside the airport, too, there were no display signs or notices. IndiGo’s flight information display system continued showing that our flight’s departure was on schedule. Others grumbled too — their cases were no different.

Chaos prevailed across the foyer and people began queuing up hoping for imaginary help desks.

Eventually, executives from various airlines arrived in counters behind glass panels. They jotted down PNRs to reschedule flights for the next day or cancel tickets.

We asked for a flight back in the afternoon or afterwards, hoping that by then, operations would have restarted. The executive said that the rescheduled flight details would be messaged and mailed.

One’s crisis, another’s opportunity

We left the still-chaotic airport and thousands of anxious citizens, still on their own. By then, a booking had been made at the same hotel but after agreeing to pay an additional 40 per cent of the tariff. The cab driver who brought us back into the city, too, doubled the fare. What is a crisis for some is also a business opportunity for others.

By evening, a message arrived — not with details of our early morning flight. It, too, had been cancelled and the next available flights were at night, 9 pm or later.

The link to IndiGo’s website to reschedule flights were down. After about an hour, when it came alive, our request for a fresh booking began being turned down — repeatedly, the facility for rescheduling two cancelled flights (not by us) was flashed “not available” on our PNR.

Unable to either reschedule or cancel the existing ticket, we made a fresh booking, at a substantially hiked rate. The next day, shortly past 9 pm, the return journey started — 32 hours later than scheduled.

Also read: TN: Cyclone Fengal leaves trail of destruction; 19 dead, Villupuram hit by flood fury

Perplexing crisis

Chennai did not witness severe wind turbulence on December 1 although it rained hard frequently and several streets remained flooded. It was well past midnight that we got into a cab to go home.

It was perplexing that in a city, the capital of a state which also periodically gets battered by cyclones and torrential rains, which forces almost every service to a standstill, there was little preparation for the impending crisis.

The airport authority made no effort to put up display signs regarding its closure. The airline, at least IndiGo with which we dealt, communicated cancellation of flights very late, by which time passengers were already on their way to the airport. Its website repeatedly became non-functional, and rescheduling flights was not possible. Even after several days, there is no word regarding any refund.

IndiGo also did not establish a separate desk at its helpline numbers. The IVR system remained what it always is — an automated service where speaking to an executive is a near impossibility. A WhatsApp number to which a link can be generated while on the call also has limited options.

Who no sensitive protocol?

It is incomprehensible why none of the businesses — airlines and hotels, and the state — have a sensitive and sequential protocol to respond during such emergency situations, provide a human touch to ensure that travellers are not harassed.

There is also a lesson for the self, too, at the end of this experience: Never press the panic button and remain as clear-headed as one can. But in such situations, facing incessant rain and aware of the impending cyclone, this is a tall order, especially for those undergoing the trauma for the first time.

I have devised a protocol in the mind should one encounter any similar situation. But will companies in the travel and hospitality business stop viewing natural calamities as opportunities to boost profits and ensure better response?