In a string of cultural events organized by T2F we are in for a round of poetry reading, this time by Attiya Dawood and simultaneously also an exhibition of Abro’s paintings.

Date: Sunday, 1st July 2007
Time: 6:00 pm – 7:00 pm
Entry Fee: Rs. 100
Venue: The Second Floor

The above picture is not from any art gallery or a rendition from any artist, it is what the heat wave, combined with lack of electricity has done to Karachi!

This candle stand sits on our center table in the sitting lounge. The candles softened and bent within 1 night, just before the monsoon storm hit the city (couldn’t post it earlier as we got electricity just yesterday after 4 days!).

Other articles around the house have also taken impact of the heat wave, though the candles express it best!

I got a chance to drive through Gulshan-e-Iqbal, North Nazimabad, and Sharae Faisal last night and I was surprised to see that most of the roads had minimum water accumulation. Last year things were quite different and it was impossible to drive on those roads. So whatever the authorties have done, it worked. At least we get to witness some evidence of their performance.

Got this sms from Jamash:

There was a short in electric wires and we were supplied with 440 volts which burned our TV and God knows what else. The power lines have fallen down over our outside gate. We have been trying to call rain emergency on 4922727 and 118 since an hour, but there is no reply. The storm is yet to come. I don’t know what they mean when they say rain emergency has been declared.

A few days back I was having a sleep over at my cousin’s house in north Nazimabad. It was Tuesday morning 3:30 am, every one in the whole of the neighborhood was fast asleep, For some odd reason me and my cousin were still up when we heard some noise on the street, it was someone’s main gate slam shut. We peeked out from our room’s window on the first floor. There were three unknown men along with my cousins good neighbor Mr. z, One of them had a flash light which he was using to illuminate the electric meter for his other partner who was disconnecting the wires from the meter. Their third associate stood guard in the middle of the street, alert and ready to warn his partners, while Mr. z was standing calmly on his main gate, holding it ajar.
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I have never seen winds so strong here before. The rain is not so heavy but wind is pretty bad. Luckily we still have power, but i know this wont last for long. Lets see whats in store for us. Stay safe everyone.

Storm headed toward Karachi and is expected to hit in the next 6 hours. It is 150 km away in the Arabian Sea as I type.
Wherever you are, please head home. The traffic is likely going to be ugly and with added rainfall and strong winds it is advisable to not be out on the roads.

CNN predicts heavy showers and thunder over the next four days.

http://weather.cnn.com/weather/forecast.jsp?locCode=OPKC&zipCode=354328257765

It seems like the tropical storm formed up in Indian Ocean will miss Karachi. Earlier it was forecasted to hit Karachi on Monday evening. We might get some strong winds and showers though, even that is enough for the city to create a havoc.

Image Credit: TSR
Story Credit: redsnapper

Yesterday’s rainstorm was devastating to a remarkable degree, the winds lashed through the city like never before and with it it brought a heavy downpour. It was probably not only the rains that brought the death toll to such large astonishing numbers as the gale-force winds uprooted thousands of trees and more importantly hundred of steel billboard hoardings came crashing down on to the streets below.

Throughout the city we are a witness to a mess of steel structures like this one seen in front of the entrance of Regent Plaza. The death toll as reported in the papers today morning were about 48, probably not much different then the death toll reported during the last years rain devastation but I was really shocked to read that the death toll had risen to a massive 230 !!!! Dawn reports various City officials saying that these were ‘more from the impoverished town of Gadap where roofs of shanty houses collapsed on families living within.’
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The Second Floor is hosting an Open Mic session for the brain. Don’t let yesterday’s rain get you down head on over to the impromptu open mike session today and let it loose. Bring a poem, sing a song, put forth an idea that may get you into trouble, or blow your own trumpet, do any thing but let yourself loose.

Date: Sunday 24th, 2007
Time: 8:00 pm – 10:00 pm
Entry Fee: – 0 – (as in zilch, natta, nothing they just need your brains!)
Venue: The Second Floor
6-C, Prime Point Building, Phase 7, Khayaban-e-Ittehad, DHA, Karachi