Kochi: Two minutes were all it took to wreak havoc over the city suburb. A strong wind swept away the plastic roofs and rooftop water tanks over several houses at Elamakkara. Several trees were uprooted after strong wind hit the Swamippadi and Shanthippadi area around 6 am on Sunday. About 40 houses were damaged but luckily no one was injured. Most of the brunt was borne by tile-roofed or thatched houses. A few of them came under crashing trees.
People in the area joined the firemen and activists from various associations to saw off the tree trunks and clear away the debris. The residents were angry with the Edappally south village officer who reached the spot late to assess the damages.
Local legislator Hibi Eden said that the officer went to the affected area only by 11:30 am despite being flooded by calls from distressed residents from the morning.
Meanwhile, Ernakulam district collector Mohammed Safeerulla and Kanayannur taluk officer Vrinda Devi were seen leading the rehabilitation efforts across the district even on a holiday.
The most miserable part of the city turned out to be the four colonies along the Thevara-Perandoor Canal. About 1,000 families in the P&T Colony, Udaya Colony, Kammattippadam and Karithala Colony found their humble houses flooded in the rain.
Many of them refused to leave their flooded houses for the temporary relief camps for fear of losing their belongings. Residents of the P&T Colony, near the KSRTC bus station, have been shifted to the Collector’s Camp in the Kendriya Vidyalaya at Kadavanthra. Even the bus station has been flooded.
Revenue officers, policemen, people’s representatives and various charitable associations have been busy providing assistance to the affected residents. The residents of the Udaya Colony were provided food by a convent in the area.
The flooding was partly caused by the city corporation’s floppy preparations for the monsoon. The canal has not been cleared of hyacinth and floating rubbish before the monsoon season. The colonies along the canal had been flooded with every tide. Local councillor Dr Poornima Narayanan said that her repeated pleas at the city council went unheard.
Rain-hit Ernakulam | In pictures
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