The rain started in the morning. First there were mild showers, then a thunderstorm, and then it changed to torrential rainfall.

I was asleep when I heard a clattering sound. Someone was throwing stones on my roof. I heard my neighbour calling my name.

When I opened the window, I saw the water. It was all around.

I got my younger children and wife out by breaking open the zinc roof. My eldest son, who is a football player, was away for a soccer match. So there was no one to help. It was still raining and the whole Kroo Bay community was in confusion. After taking my children to a safe place, I went to Spain (a neighbourhood in Kroo Bay), where my eldest son’s fiancee lived with her family and my seven-month-old granddaughter.

The water had not reached that side, but I told the mother to evacuate. She was playing Ludo and asked me, “Do you not believe in God?” I asked for my granddaughter and offered to take her with me. But the mother refused and I had to leave.

As it continued to rain, I got more worried and I returned to their house again later. I found everybody in the household crying. I learnt that a mud house had collapsed nearby. My granddaughter was trapped inside.

We could not save her.

When the water went down, I was able to recover my granddaughter’s body. I took it to the Connaught Mortuary.

I told the mother and her family members they were responsible for my child’s death. She would have lived if they had let me take her. She was my first grandchild.  My son was only 17 years old when he got the girl pregnant. I had to struggle to take care of the mother and the baby. I bought napkins, towels, and flasks. I organised the naming ceremony. I sometimes feel I could have done more to save the life of that child… But as a Muslim, we cannot question the will of Allah.

The major cause of the flooding in our community is the poor drainage system. The drains are not deep. So water overflows into our houses. Some people have also constructed houses that disturb the flow of water. I am calling on the government and international organisations to help us to dig, to expand the drainage system. And construct strong walls that will prevent flooding. If we do not do this, we will always suffer from flooding during rainy season.

September is not a good month! It is the most disastrous month for me. The rains are heavy and it is the month that took away my granddaughter.