MEPPADI(WAYANAD): What you have witnessed is a most traumatic incident in your life. But we are with you. You can approach psychiatric counsellors who are stationed near your rooms.
Thus went public announcements at relief camps in Meppadi. Not just government machinery, but people from all walks of life have volunteered to assist the landslide-affected people staying in relief camps.
Sreedhanya Suresh, an IAS officer from Wayanad, who is coordinating the movement of relief supplies, said all arrangements are in place.
“We have enough resources to operate the relief camps. All facilities have been provided to the rescued persons,” she said.
With crowd management becoming a daunting task for the police, check points have been set up at the junction connecting Kalpetta and the landslide-hit places to prevent people from entering these areas unnecessarily. At the same time, volunteer groups from other states have come forward to help with traffic and crowd management.
Paul Jose, principal of the Government HSS in Meppadi, said all classrooms have been taken up for the relief camp.
“We have around 675 persons here. A similar number of people are staying at the St Joseph’s School nearby,” he said.
Meanwhile, religious institutions have made special arrangements to perform the last rites of the deceased. A temple in Meppadi has set up additional cremation facilities while churches and mosques have made arrangements for funerals.
“As many as 23 bodies were cremated in the past 24 hours. We have arranged five wood-pyre platforms and gas crematorium chambers each,” a person operating the crematorium said.