Today is Monday, I woke up to loud claps of thunder and heavy downpour. I was wondering - should I wear my galoshes today? I just happened to pack a trendy pair of rain boots for days like this. No need - it's just a cab ride from home to work, both places have awnings. Ring, ring, the cab driver is downstairs. I was so excited when I went downstairs and saw a big line of people waiting for a cab. Ha, ha, I pre-booked mine. I jumped into the cab and was on my way.
Right as we turned out of the complex, there was a large splash...looks like some flooding on the streets. As we slowly made our way down the block, I began to realize how much flooding there was. Each time we made a splash, the water flew up to the height of the roof of the cab - no exaggeration. I started to get a little nervous thinking that the cab may stall in such high water levels. I looked out the window and couldn't see the curb. People walking on the streets had water up to their calf. Mopeds were stalled and bikes were a no go. 4 lane streets were reduced to two lanes in the center, the place with the least amount of water.
Not a morning person, I could feel smoke coming out of my head as I started to strategize.. 'what do I do if the car stalls? who do I call? how do I get to work.. or back home?' The cab driver was an old pro. With his one speed wipers and mad skills, he maneuvered through the water waves like it was daily routine. In addition, when the car started to stall, he would immediately jerk the car a little and down shift (must be a trick I did not learn in driving school). My contribution: I decided to sit in the middle of the cab - even weight distribution.
As we traversed through this water ride, I started to hear water sounds.. like it was coming from inside the car. Low and behold, there was water coming into the cab! Water was coming in from the car door and I'm sure other spots of the under carriage. Nervous as heck, I kindly asked the driver, "is it okay that water is coming in?" He responds, "No problem, just lift your feet up so your shoes do not get wet, sorry about the inconvenience." Inconvenience? I was amazed that he was so calm!
Finally, we got to the highway, which was only about 1/2 a mile. Upon our way down, we started to slide... as if the tires were bald. How could I forget to put a penny in the tires and do a check before getting on? HA HA We semi slid down the exit into a BIG pool of murky brown water. I had no idea how we made it out, but we did. By now, the water was about 2 inches high in the cab. Five minutes later, I got to work. You know - the cultural orientation class did not mention that cab rides to work can become an amusement park water ride.
Right as we turned out of the complex, there was a large splash...looks like some flooding on the streets. As we slowly made our way down the block, I began to realize how much flooding there was. Each time we made a splash, the water flew up to the height of the roof of the cab - no exaggeration. I started to get a little nervous thinking that the cab may stall in such high water levels. I looked out the window and couldn't see the curb. People walking on the streets had water up to their calf. Mopeds were stalled and bikes were a no go. 4 lane streets were reduced to two lanes in the center, the place with the least amount of water.
Not a morning person, I could feel smoke coming out of my head as I started to strategize.. 'what do I do if the car stalls? who do I call? how do I get to work.. or back home?' The cab driver was an old pro. With his one speed wipers and mad skills, he maneuvered through the water waves like it was daily routine. In addition, when the car started to stall, he would immediately jerk the car a little and down shift (must be a trick I did not learn in driving school). My contribution: I decided to sit in the middle of the cab - even weight distribution.
As we traversed through this water ride, I started to hear water sounds.. like it was coming from inside the car. Low and behold, there was water coming into the cab! Water was coming in from the car door and I'm sure other spots of the under carriage. Nervous as heck, I kindly asked the driver, "is it okay that water is coming in?" He responds, "No problem, just lift your feet up so your shoes do not get wet, sorry about the inconvenience." Inconvenience? I was amazed that he was so calm!
Finally, we got to the highway, which was only about 1/2 a mile. Upon our way down, we started to slide... as if the tires were bald. How could I forget to put a penny in the tires and do a check before getting on? HA HA We semi slid down the exit into a BIG pool of murky brown water. I had no idea how we made it out, but we did. By now, the water was about 2 inches high in the cab. Five minutes later, I got to work. You know - the cultural orientation class did not mention that cab rides to work can become an amusement park water ride.
UPDATE: I was reading the news today (Tuesday) and the Shanghai Daily indicated that the thunderstorms yesterday was the "storm of the century". Between 7-8am, the city issued a orange flood/ storm alert. In that same hour, 117 millimeters of rain fell (that would be 4.6 inches). The drainage system here can only process 27-36 millimeters of water per hour.
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