A brief burst of strong wind, which the local residents likened to a mini tornado, wreaked havoc in multiple divisions of Elamakkara within the Corporation limits on Thursday morning.
Many trees were uprooted and roofing sheets atop many houses and car porches were blown away in the wind, especially in areas near Keerthi Nagar. The initial estimates put the damage at about Rs. 2 lakh.
The wind blew away the entire roofing made of aluminum sheets over a house at Valiyaparambu Road and dumped it over a nearby plot adjoining a neighbouring house. Four trees, including two big ones, within the compound of the same house got uprooted and fell on the adjacent electric lines and road making it out of bounds for motorists for hours.
A six-member fire brigade led by leading fireman Shajikumar from the Gandhinagar unit had a tough time clearing the uprooted trees. It took more than two hours for fire force personnel to clear the fallen trees and its branches using a chain saw. They were assisted by the staff of the Kerala State Electricity Board.
Councilor Sajini Jayachandran said at least eight houses within her division were affected in the wind that didn’t last more than a minute.