Wind, rain wreak havoc in Angamaly
KOCHI: The strong wind followed by heavy rain wreaked havoc in and around Angamaly on Tuesday evening. The wind blew away sheets serving as roofs of several houses and institutions, and uprooted trees causing power outage for hours.
KSEB staff in Angamaly said attempts were being made to restore power by night itself. “However, immense damage was reported at some places. The power supply there may be restored only by Wednesday night,” said an official.
Fire and rescue services personnel said traffic was disrupted for nearly an hour after a tree fell on the NH stretch near the Angamaly police station. The wind started blowing around 3.05pm and was followed by rain that lasted nearly 25 minutes.
“We received distress calls from Angamaly, Parakkadavu, Athani, Kariyad and Kanjoor areas about trees getting uprooted and electricity posts falling. We sought help from fire stations in Aluva, Perumbavoor, Paravoor, Mala and Chalakudy to deal with the devastation. All our personnel are currently clearing the fallen trees and electricity posts,” said a fire and rescue services official.
Angamaly municipality chairman Reji Mathew said Peechanikkadu ward was hit the worst. “Damage was reported at the St George’s Basilica, the private bus station and a private college. Entire Angamaly suffered from power outage. The tahsildar and disaster management team visited the affected places to assess the damage,” he said.