COONOOR: Rain continued to pound The Nilgiris unabated and the district recorded 1,340 mm of rain for the 24 hours ending 8.30 am on Wednesday, the highest in the last few days.
Rainfall exceeded 100 mm in six rain-gauge stations - Gudalur received the highest rainfall in the district of 181 mm, Upper Gudalur got 161 mm, Devala 149 mm, upper Bhavani 132 mm, Avalanchi 122 mm and Pandalur 102 mm. Naduvattam got 89 mm, Cherangode 79 mm and Glenmorgan 71 mm.
District Collector SP Amrith declared holiday on Wednesday for schools in Gudalur, Pandalur, Kundah and Ooty taluks. Flash floods washed away a bridge in Mankuzhi in Gudalur.
Manickam (55), a resident, was caught in the flooded river under the bridge but locals rescued him by throwing ropes and crawl up the broken bridge. The Collector inspected the area along with Gudalur MLA Pon Jayaseelan.
Due to the rains, a portion of the compound wall of Government Hospital in Ooty crashed and fell on a car. None was injured. Trees fell in many places especially in Ooty, Gudalur, Avalanchi and Naduvattam areas.
The Collector said that 42 teams are on round-the-clock watch in 283 spots identified to be prone for disaster in the district. He said that 456 flood relief centres have been kept ready with adequate stock of food, drinking water and medical facilities. He advised people to move over to their nearby centres if necessary.