Kerala floods kill 33 more, Centre grants ~500 crore
RAIN FURY Bodies found floating in floodwaters, roads cut off, scarcity of food and medicines looms
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Thirtythree more people died on Saturday in floods triggered by 10 days of torrential rainfall in Kerala, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi carried out an aerial survey of the devastation left by one of the worst natural calamities to hit the state and announced ~500 crore in aid, a fourth of the amount sought by chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan.
As the first signs emerged of the rains letting up, relief and rescue teams deployed by the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) as well as the three armed forces were still engaged in a massive operation — distributing food and other essentials and rescuing the marooned — across Kerala. Even so, the magnitude of the disaster is such that relief supplies couldn’t reach everyone, and many complained of going without food or potable water for days together.
One relief official in Kochi said: “The magnitude of the disaster is really great. We are finding it difficult to manage...”
Saturday’s deaths took the toll to at least 226 since flooding began on August 18 when rain intensified. Revenue officials said at least 20,000 houses had been destroyed and 15,000 partially damaged by the swirling floodwaters and relentless rain, as the state stared at the possibility of epidemic outbreaks when the water that has inundated half the state starts receding .
On Saturday, the fury of the weather showed signs of abating, prompting the authorities to lift the read alert in all but three of Kerala’s 14 districts.
“After August 19 intensity of the rain will decrease. Now red alert will remain only in three districts, Idukki, Ernakulam and Patthanamthitta,” said Thiruvananthapuram’s regional met office director K Santhosh.
Chief minister Vijayan said the situation was under control and domestic air services would start from the Kochi naval base on Monday.
“Large aircraft can’t operate in naval base so we are starting with domestic air service. Initially three domestic routes will be opened and eventually it can increase till the closed Cochin International Airport will be ready,” he said. The flood-hit Cochi airport is closed until August 26.
Southern railway said train services on the Kottayam-ernakulam section will begin on Sunday on a trial basis. Services on all others suspended routes will also begin shortly.
After his aerial survey, Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his “grief and sorrow on the unfortunate deaths and damage caused to property due to floods in Kerala” on Twitter.