KOCHI: Liji, 26, was looking forward to going into labour next week. The whole experience had been a smooth one so far when rain gods decided to play spoilsport. As news of death and destruction poured in from other parts of the state, reality hit hard for Liji as the water level started rising dangerously and entered her house in Thannikkal here late on Thursday. Drowning in panic, her parents John and Lilly rushed her to a relative’s place in Mamangalam, which is on safer ground.
The family is in great distress as Liji will have to be rushed to the hospital anytime. “Liji had been staying with us since the beginning of her pregnancy and everything had been going smoothly so far. However, on the cusp of going into labour, we aren’t sure whether we can help her much. Her husband - who is working in Australia - is worried and has been in touch over phone.
We have moved her so that we can get her medical assistance easily,” said her mother, Lilly. Similar scenes are playing out in other flood-hit areas. Mothers with newborn kids, sick children and pregnant women living within the city limits are fleeing for safety. Entire families are shifting to relatives’ houses. This was one of the reasons for the panic buying of fuel that started on Thursday. As transportation to northern Kerala is restricted, the rushed trip is either for the “supposed safer plains” in the city itself or to southern Kerala.