THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Incessant rain accompanied by heavy winds have left the city in shambles. A day after cyclone Ockhi came bearing down, the city continues to bear its after effects. In a continuation of Thursday’s events, many incidents of trees toppling over and compound walls caving in were reported on Friday as well.
A wall behind Nila, a building in Technopark, collapsed and fell on the bikes parked below beside it. Similar incidents of walls collapsing in were reported from Anayara. Three people were injured when mud caved in on a car at Yamuna Nagar in Thiruvallom.
The number of vehicles on the road was less on account of the public holiday declared due to Miladi Sharif. With trees falling on to the roads, driving became a nightmare for motorists on Thursday. The power supply is yet to be restored in many wards. Veli Tourist Village has been closed due to adverse weather.
Turbulent Coast
However, it was the coastal regions that bore the brunt of the cyclone. Concern for the fishermen out in the sea cast a pall of gloom on the community who also suffered severe damage to their properties. Sea erosion at into the coast at locations South of Shanghumugham. Huge waves destroyed boats anchored at Poonthura and Vizhinjam.
Those involved in the rehabilitation works had to face an anguished community. Most protests were led by fisherwomen. They blocked the National Highway at Thiruvallom demanding information about the whereabouts of dear ones trapped in the sea. Protests were held at Bheemapalli area too. Women were seen praying at St Thomas Church at Poonthura for the safe return of the fishermen. They said, 79 boats are still missing.
District administration and the Corporation have deployed their machinery to handle the situation persisting at the coast.
The Corporation started four relief camps at three locations at Poonthura, Vizhinjam and Thiruvallom. These camps are monitored by the office of Health Officer in the Corporation. District administration has started 18 camps in different locations.
At Poonthura fishermen refused to leave their boats unattended. Tourism Minister Kadakampally Surendran and Mayor V K Prasanth tried to allay the concerns of the fishermen.
Two camps were opened at St Thomas Higher Secondary School and St Philomena’s Girls High School at Poonthura. Over 500 people have been shifted to these camps. The camps are likely to witness the arrival of more people since the relief workers are persuading fishermen to leave their home near the coast to a safer location.
“The fishermen community is worried about the safety of their men at sea and the damage caused to their boats. We held discussions with them and informed them about the government’s stance on compensation. Hopefully, more people will move to the camp,” said Mayor V K Prasanth after his visit to the camp. A control room has been set up at the camp on his request.
The Corporation has provided basic amenities like potable water and sanitation. It has stationed two ambulances and five vehicles at Poonthura. Fifty contingency workers have been deployed for sanitation works. It has deployed five supervisors and five health inspectors too. The district administration has made arrangements for food. Over 270 people have sought refuge at the camp opened at Vizhinjam and 370 at Panathura in Thiruvallom.
Ockhi has left a question mark on the disaster preparedness and mitigation mechanism in the city. Though a plan had been proposed to form a special team for disaster and rescue operation, it is yet to be implemented. A 10-member team from the Health Department has been trained for this purpose. But the unit is yet to get the equipment required for the work.