Residents of Tirunagar and nearby places were taken by surprise by a strong gale that struck the area on Wednesday evening, bringing down around 30 electric poles and many trees.
K.T. Hariram, a resident of Mahalakshmi Nesavalar Colony, said that the gale followed a brief spell of rain around 4 p.m.. “The force of the wind was something that I do not remember seeing in my life. It did not even last for 10 minutes but did so much damage,” he said.
N. Sivakami, who sells flowers near Arignar Anna Park, said that she had to take the flowers and rush for shelter when the gale struck. “It was like a twister. It brought down a giant neem tree near the Vinayagar temple,” she said.
The gale also brought down at least two huge trees inside the park. “Usually, many children and elders visit the park in the evenings. The spell of rain ahead of the wind luckily ensured that nobody was there at the park,” she added.
P. Prabhakaran, an auto-rickshaw driver, said that it was fortunate that nobody got injured, particularly when so many electric poles fell down. “The rain acted as a warning that sent everybody inside,” he said, adding that the wind also damaged a cell phone tower in the area.
A Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation employee, deployed in the restoration work, said that he was reminded of the recent restoration work he was involved in Kanniyakumari district after Cyclone Ockhi. “It was like a mini cyclone that hit a small area,” he said.
S. Ilamparithi, Superintending Engineer, Madurai Metro, TANGEDCO, said that power was restored in the area by Thursday evening. “It was a tedious job, but our employees did a good work. Every connection from poles to houses had to be disconnected and connected again after installation of poles,” he said, adding that a total of 28 electric poles and two high-tension electric lines were replaced.
