We apologise to all of you who have sent us e-mails in the past couple of weeks but we haven't replied to but we have had a major disaster...
FLOOD. The last major flood in the Luangwa Valley was in 1978 but by all accounts this one is far worse. We have been cut off by road and all communications except a local VHF radio since 1st February. We have no toilet or fresh water so wash with buckets of river water in the bush every evening. Today is the first day we have access to e-mail and the floods are receding fast. We are absolutely fine but the house and
Centre have taken a beating.

Here's the story...

In late January, the Luangwa started to rise after a record month for rainfall (global warming/climate change?). On the 30th January the bush
house was flooded, then the following day, we had to try and raise everything in the workshop and store to prevent it getting flooded, as
water started entering both buildings.

The next day at dawn, water had risen dramatically overnight and was now just 5" below the floor level of the house and coming up fast. We
hurriedly evacuated all the furniture to the Centre, which was just 18" higher than the house, and tried to move all we could in the house top
higher shelves and concrete tops to all our built-in cupboards. After a hard day's effort, we fell to sleep immediately, relieved we had got all
our furniture out.

We woke the following morning to find water just 1" from entering the Centre, which was now an island! We had to race to the house with our 4 workers to try and rescue more items. By the time we got back to the Centre it too had become flooded, soaking some of our precious
furniture, some of which was antique and we had brought with us from England, and some we had had custom made locally.

That night we slept in our bed in the Centre's classroom in 4" of water. As we hadn't had time to put up a mosquito net, Steve got badly bitten
by mosquitoes and developed malaria 10 days later! The water rose in the night and we had to lift the bed onto 9" concrete blocks to prevent the bedding getting soaked.

Nigel, our Trust Secretary, was on holiday with us at the time and was invaluable in helping us move from the house to the Centre, etc. We had
to arrange his transfer out of Chipembele by boat, belonging to a friend, just before the floods reached their limit and after a night
spent at other friends in Mfuwe, he was taken to the airport for his flight to Lusaka and later back to the UK. Thanks Nigel, you were a star!

The following day it was 14" deep in the Centre and 36" deep (waist level)in the house, despite the house being built at least 2 foot off
ground level. The Luangwa had burst its banks upstream of us and was now flowing directly at the house. The flow was so powerful, and the water so deep, that the only way to leave the house was to find fingerholds on the stone wall of the house and slowly pull yourself along, a grip at a time, until you were far enough along the house, where the current lessened, to dare to let go!

When we used the boat to save items, (see photo 8...recovering our gas oven, that still works, despite being immersed in 20" of water!), it was
only due to the bravery and strength of the men that we were able to get away with it. Their mouths were underwater as they pushed the boat away from the house and we were all fighting for grip, as the water was now around 5 1/2 foot deep just out from the house. The strength of the Luangwa was so fierce it ripped large holes in the ground just out from the corner of the house nearly 3 feet deeper than normal ground level!

We managed to wire up the batteries for the solar power system in the Centre to provide electricity, even though all the plugs were under
water and we were then able to charge up our radio, camera and laptop. On the radio we heard almost all lodges were flooded, with several
losing vehicles beneath the floodwaters. Luckily we could get our vehicles to higher ground in time. All the ex-pats had evacuated to
Kapani Lodge, which was the only dry lodge and they have all been staying there ever since. Some lodges may face financial ruin as a
result of the floods.

The National Park is impossible to enter, as the main road through it is broken in 5 places...and that's just in the first 1/4 mile!

Many villagers are living at the side of the airport road in huts made out of grass reclaimed from their collapsed buildings. The Zambian
Government has declared this a disaster area and have sent in the Army but there appears little they can do to help the vast numbers of people
who have lost everything, including this year's crops, on which they rely.

One day Steve walked with 3 of our men to Kafunta Lodge, about 4 miles from here. They had to walk 1/2 mile back from the river to escape the floodwaters and wade waist deep through the rivers in their path. On getting there they found the lodge underwater. Just Mfuwe side of the
lodge, the bridge was completely smashed by the floods, meaning we are cut off to Mfuwe (and the rest of the world!) by road, probably until
April, when drier conditions will allow us to ford the river the bridge crosses.However, as much of the track between us and Kafunta is under
water, we don't know what remains of it.

After a day or 2 of high water conditions, the level started to drop and after 3 days the Centre was out of the water and our men cleaned out all
the stinking mud and scrubbed the walls.

Thereafter, some days the water never dropped, some days it rose a small amount but 3 days ago the house floor was just visible, so we got the men to start the massive clean-up operation, a room at a time. It took 2 1/2 days but we finally had the house looking clean again, and the 1/2" layer of stinking mud, plus a few live catfish, was cleaned from the house, and things can start to get back to normal! All the rooms, both
here and in the Centre, will need repainting.

Our men have been absolute gems (except Mabvuto, who we sent home for 5 days off the day the garage started flooding, and he turned up 10 days later, saying he 'feared the water'!). Without them, the situation would have been far worse and we would have lost so much more. At least Mabvuto is making amends by taking charge of tidying up the workshop and store, which are total disaster areas!

Two days ago the well collapsed, our most serious incident, as we will have no fresh water for several months. Even if we can organise a well
digging company to come here and repair it they can't get through by road. We can get cleanish water by digging holes in the Chowo riverbed
about a mile upstream and may have to continue doing this for months until the well can be repaired.

Outside the grass is brown with mud and there is silt and stinking mud everywhere, but at least the level is now dropping fast. We have to
remember though that last year's record flood levels didn't arrive until 9th March!

Our priority now remains to somehow purchase a boat and an outboard so we can travel to Mfuwe and get supplies, get to the bank at the Airport etc. Fortunately our 130 Land Rover has been in Livingstone for several months, having a complete overhaul and Steve will have to fly there soon to collect it. At least it means we have a vehicle the right side of the broken bridge.

Luckily we had plenty of tinned and dried food and lots of gin and tonics for the essential sundowners! For the time being we are still
camping out in the Centre and remain dependent on friends dropping off supplies via passing boats. Petrol is in short supply in the area and as
we need it to power the generator and thereby send e-mails, we won't be able to check as regularly as before.

Wishing you all the best from a damp and marooned Chipembele!

Steve and Anna