Day 21 Friday 8th October

We are woken up at around 3am by thunder and lightning which was a bit of a surprise as the weather has been very hot and humid since we have been here.
At around 4am, it gets very loud. The noise is deafening and the sound of the lightning travels through the camp with an echo that was extremely unnerving. Soon the heavens open up and it rains down with winds like i have never experienced before back home in the UK. Within just a few minutes the camp site becomes almost flooded with rainwater and we are all awake. We all rally around to see if any of our aid which is mostly under shelter may have been soaked. Thankfully most of it is covered but some small quantities of boxes are soaked which we soon take to a more dry place to protect from further damage. Phew, just in time or it could have been a disaster. Great teamwork has paid off.
The storm continues all night . Those who were sleeping outside the billets and in tents have had a good soaking and find space in already overcrowded rooms.
We wake up in the morning for breakfast to find that the water is up to our ankles in some places. I have never known so much rain and thunder with lightning in such a small time period.
We have a team meeting to organise for the day ahead, most of the day will be spent on clearing the camp area of as much water as we possibly can, everyone joins in. Special instructions are given to all volunteers as to how everyone can help cut down on effects of water bourn deceases. Everyone is given anti bacterial hand washes. Every bodies clothes are completely soaked and feeling very cold for the first time since we left home some weeks ago. Let’s hope it brightens up a little later.
The rain and thunder carries on relentlessly for most of the day, but we all carry on working to organise all our aid according to the terms stipulated by the Egyptians who want us to jump through many hoops.
In the evening at around 8pm, a group of about 40 new Algerian vehicles carrying aid arrives at the camp. We all give them a very warm welcome and they are just as pleased to see us.
After the evening meal we all get some rest, ready for what tomorrow will bring.