Kinshasa is nicely tucked away from hurricane areas, so I could safely enjoy yesterday's storm. It started around 9 am and only lasted an hour or so. It was magnificent.



People living close to the river do suffer from seasonal flooding and people living close to eroded areas are in grave risk of landslides. I think these risks are mostly of human origin, though. The areas surrounding Kinshasa are heavily deforested. I know nothing about geology but someone explained to me that the "hills" around Kin are basically sand dunes, that is why they erode so easily.

Kinois are lucky because they're out of hurricane and earthquake zones. Coming from Guate, I have great appreciation for this relative safety. It makes a big difference to see the gaps in the outer walls of the staircase and know that they were caused by gunfire* and not by an earthquake (Kinshasa is so far from the ongoing conflict in the east, that it feels like a different country all together) . I also feel better about loving the rain and the storms so much knowing that there is no threat of a hurricane. I am fully aware that I can say this because I live in a solid building (even if there are multiple leaks in the water system and electric connections work simply out of luck) in a flat area above river level.


*In two and a half years I have only experienced two "situations" that involved gunfire and fighting. Demobilization is still too recent to see it's effects in terms of available weapons on the streets. Petty criminals in Kinshasa normally do not have fire arms, nor do most police.