Thiruvanthapuram: The India Meteorological Department (IMD) declared a red alert in Idukki and Kannur districts on Tuesday amid the heavy downpour in the state.
An orange alert was declared for all other districts except Thiruvananthapuram and Kollam. A yellow alert has been announced in these two districts.
A red alert indicates heavy to extremely heavy rains of over 20 cm in 24 hours, while an orange alert means very heavy rains from 6 cm to 20 cm of rain. A yellow alert means heavy rainfall between 6 and 11 cm.
A holiday has been declared for all educational institutions, including professional colleges, in the Ernakulam and Alappuzha districts on Tuesday in the view of heavy rain.
Holiday has also been declared for educational institutions in the Kasaragod district. However, colleges in Kasaragod will be open on Tuesday.
In Ernakulam, the district collector said that besides, CBSE and ICSE schools, Kendriya Vidyalaya should also remain closed on Tuesday.
Damages & casualties
After a month of deficit rainfall, the lowest rainfall in 47 years, the monsoon has strengthened in July. The state received 30.37 cm of rain in 24 hours according to an estimate taken on Monday morning. The Met department has predicted that the heavy rain will continue in the state for the next 5 days. The National Oceanic Survey and Research Center has warned that there will be high waves and storm surges during this period. Fishing is prohibited along the coasts of Kerala, Karnataka and Lakshadweep.
The state also reported one rain-related casualty and several damages on Monday.
An 11-year-old girl died after a tree fell on her head near her school on Monday. The deceased has been identified as Ayshath Minha, a class VI student of Government Higher Secondary School at Angadimogar in Puthige grama panchayat.
Thirty-six houses in Alappuzha and three houses in Pathanamthitta partially collapsed due to heavy rain and wind. Sea incursion has been reported in several areas including Vypin and Fort Kochi areas. The residential areas of Nairambalam were also inundated.
In Malappuram district, the District Disaster Management Authority has issued a precautionary warning.
Three relief camps were opened in Alappuzha and Idukki and 57 people from 14 families were relocated. The SDMA has informed that the 24-hour taluk control rooms in the districts are operational.
State Control Room Numbers: 0471 2333198, 2331639.
NDRF teams deployed
In a Facebook post, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said that according to the IMD there was possibility of widespread rains in the state in the coming days and taking into account the severity of the rainfall, seven teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) have been deployed in Kerala.
The NDRF teams have been deployed in Idukki, Pathanamthitta, Malappuram, Wayanad, Kozhikode, Alappuzha and Thrissur districts of the state.
Additionally, the State Emergency Operation Centre has been operationalised while district and taluk-level emergency operation centres have been instructed to work round the clock, he said.
In his post, the Chief Minister also advised people against crossing rivers, bathing or fishing in them, avoid night travel to hilly areas and cancel trips to the beach.
To those living in coastal areas, Vijayan said that they should follow instructions of the authorities and if required, temporarily relocate themselves from the danger zones.
