A fierce whirl wind, accompanied by heavy summer showers wreaked havoc in many parts of Adoor and Kozhencherry taluks of Pathanamthitta on Monday evening.
Two persons were killed and two others were injured in separate untoward incidents occurred in connection with the natural calamity.
A 65-year old man, Podiyan of Vettikkattu Muruppekl at Thatta-Pongaladi, frightened of the whirl wind, was fatally collapsed while fleeing from his house where he was staying alone on Monday night. A 50-year old man, Rajendran of Sheebalayam at Pandalam-Mangaram, died of head injuries he had sustained while cutting the branches of a tree that was uprooted in the wind on Monday night.
Chellamma, 80, of Koickal Vadakkethil at Kurampala near Pandalam and Radhamony Amma, 60, of Vrindavanam at Kurampala were injured when their houses collapsed in the natural calamity.
Houses damaged
As many as 1,000 houses have been damaged, nearly 150 of them completely destroyed, in the natural calamity, besides the heavy loss to standing crop in the region.
As per an official survey conducted by the Revenue department, 403 houses have been partially damaged and 113 houses fully destroyed in the natural calamity. The official survey has estimated loss worth Rs 2.12 crore in the natural calamity.
Pandalam-Thekkekkara, Kodumon, Angadickal, Kulanada, Thumpamon, Vallikkode and Pandalam town were the worst affected areas.
Largescale destruction of standing crop has also been reported from the affected areas.
Power supply disrupted
Power supply has been disrupted in all the affected areas since Monday night. A large number of electric posts have been broken and transmission lines snapped, disrupting power supply to all the affected areas.
Giant trees that have been uprooted in the wind are still lying across the road and on the transmission lines. Vehicular traffic has been disrupted along many rural roads.
Kerala State Electricity Board sources told The Hindu that the loss to the board would be not less than Rs 1 crore.
It would take not less than four days to restore power supply in the calamity-hit areas, KSEB sources said.
KSEB could not restore power supply even in Pandalam town on Tuesday.
As many 95 houses were totally damaged and 160 houses partially damaged in Pandalam-Thekkekara panchayat alone. The asbestos roof of the Ayurvedic dispensary at Pandalam has been totally destroyed, damaging the files and medicines stored inside.
A majority of the houses were damaged when trees uprooted in the wind fell over the roof.
Chittayam Gopakumar, MLA, and Distrrict Collector, P. Venugopal visited the affected areas.
The Collector has constituted special squads to extend speedy relief to the affected areas.
K.P. Sasidharan Nair, Deputy Collector (Disaster Management); M.C. Sarasamma, Adoor Revenue Divisional Officer; C. Mohankumar, Adoor Tahsildar, and grama panchayat presidents also accompanied the Collector.
Control rooms
District administration has opened control rooms at the collectorate (0468-2222515, 2222507), Thiruvalla (0469-2601303), Kozhencherry Taluk Office (0468-2222221), Mallappally (0469-2682293), Ranni (04735-227442) and Adoor (04734-224826).
