Storm Cleanup, two weeks later

Here are a couple more pictures of the hotel we've been staying in for the last couple weeks. We signed a lease on our new apartment yesterday and will learn shortly when we can move in.

Entrance portico

Lobby side of entrance

Dining side of entrance

The pictures below are as we walked up the hill from downtown Coonoor to Bedford where we've been staying and where our old and new apartments are.

Now that two weeks have passed, A LOT of cleaning up has been done. This picture shows one of the landslides that closed the Coimbatore to Coonoor road, as well as the train track. In this photo, the train track is just below the road. There are no projections on when the road from Coimbatore to Coonoor will be usable. Some say 1.5 years. Same for the badly damaged road from Coonoor to Ooty. Now the traffic is going through the town of Kotagiri to get to Ooty, and also to get to Mettapalayam to get to Coimbatore. Here's a link from "The Hindu Times" regarding the roads http://googlemail.com/attachment?ui=2&ik=29152b9cc7&view=att&th=12524e10ac48430a&attid=0.1&disp=safe&zw&saduie=1egnamlflexzht0ru4ul8c2rse0a9yj&sadet=1259044229326&sads=216421e687c5f1879dabd924534e2d65

Hard to see the landslide behind this building, but you can see the dirt and debris pushing throug the metal door.

Looking down from the road

Down again from the road

Gopal looking down

Gopal is looking down. I was tryiing to show the devastation to the property below.

The day after the storm, Gopal and I walked down this road. When we set out, we had no idea how bad it would be. And, so, I didn't bring my camera. There were places where it was heroic to climb through. There were a couple days just after the storm when it didn't rain. But for the last week or so it has rained heavily every evening and night. My discomfort at being at the Brooklands house is acute, but I'm writing this post from that house since we are here to pack up our things.