THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: While the Southwest monsoon may take two more weeks to set in, heavy rain triggered by a depression in the Arabian Sea lashed the state for the second day on Friday, inundating several low-lying areas and causing widespread destruction.
The sea turned rough and tidal waves rose one metre high, displacing many families in the coastal areas and fully or partially damaging houses. Two persons were killed in separate rain-related incidents. Adarsh KM (19), son of Madusoodanan of Kizhakkedathu, drowned in Chenoth river in Kozhikode while taking bath. The body of an elderly man was found in a waterlogged area at Chellanam in Ernakulam.
Water gushed into around 50 houses at Ponnani in Malappuram after the sea turned rough while around 100 families were displaced in Kodungallur. The Beypore-Gotheeswaram beach road in Kozhikode too suffered damage.
Sea erosion occurred at Kodungallur and Chavakkad in Thrissur, and Alappad, Thanni and Eravipuram in Kollam. Six ships including three Sri Lankan barges had to be anchored at the Kollam port because of rough weather.
In Ernakulam, high waves battered areas like Chellanam and Vypeen leaving scores of houses flooded. Houses along the coastal stretches of Kadalundi and Koyilandi in Kozhikode too suffered similar damage.
According to the state control room, 17 relief camps were opened till evening sheltering 337 people, taking the total number of active camps in the state to 23 with 764 inmates overall.
More camps will be opened and their status would be clear by Saturday, said an official. The revenue department is taking stock of the number of houses damaged in the rain fury.
Meanwhile, a bulletin from the India Meteorological Department said the depression over the Arabian Sea has intensified into a deep depression and lay centred over the Lakshadweep Islands and adjoining southeast and east-central Arabian Sea, around 310 km west-southwest of Kannur.
Depression intensifies, says MeT Department
MeT Department said the depression over the Arabian Sea has intensified into a deep depression and lay centred over the Lakshadweep Islands and adjoining southeast and east-central Arabian Sea, around 310 km west-southwest of Kannur.
The depression is very likely to intensify into a cyclonic storm during the next 12 hours and intensify further during the subsequent 24 hours and then move north-northwest and reach close to the Gujarat coast by Tuesday morning.
The MeT department said that by that time, the cyclone will gain strength and the wind will attain a speed of 150-160 km per hour, gusting to 175 km/hr. Though Kerala is not in the path of the cyclone, the state will continue to witness heavy rain on Saturday.
The IMD has sounded a red alert in Malappuram, Kozhikode, Wayanad, Kannur and Kasaragod warning of extreme heavy rain. An orange alert has been sounded in the other districts, except Thiruvananthapuram and Palakkad, warning of heavy to very heavy rain.