NILGIRIS: Normal life was thrown out of gear in parts of Nilgiris on Monday amid incessant rain and strong winds. People had to put up with prolonged disruption of power supply and slowing down of traffic following the falling of trees onto power poles and roads in several areas amid heavy winds.
Sources said 413 millimetre of rainfall was received till 4 pm in the district on Monday of which 72 mm rainfall was recorded in Avalanche.
Meanwhile, nine trees that fell within the Udhagamandalam jurisdiction on Monday have been cleared and vehicle operations have commenced, sources said. Uprooted trees affected road traffic at Kenthorai on the Ooty-Kotagiri road, Ooty-Avalanche road, Doddabetta-Thummanatty road, Boat House road and Fern Hill. Residents of Fernhill experienced power cuts for more than an hour as a tree fell over a power line. Electricity was restored after the tree was removed.
A van driver, Vigneswaran, escaped unhurt after a tree fell on his vehicle at Koderi village on the Coonoor road. Residents between Manjanakorai and Lovedale areas are apprehensive after a minor landslide. Except Coonoor and Kotagiri taluks, schools across Nilgiris remain closed due to the incessant rain.
Collector Lakshmi Bhavya Tanneeru announced closure of the schools on Monday as a precautionary measure in view of the red alert. Schools in Valparai in Coimbatore were also closed on Monday. Coimbatore received a total rainfall of 770.74 mm and average rainfall of 33.51 mm in the 24 hours till Monday morning. Chinnakallar received the highest rainfall of 176 mm in the district.