With three more deaths reported on Saturday, the toll in the heavy rain, landslips, and floods during the past two days rose to seven in the State.
Landslips occurred in Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Pathanamthitta, Kottayam, Kozhikode, and Wayanad districts, causing widespread destruction of property and crops.
Many areas were flooded and some hilly areas were cut off from the rest of the State.
More than 1,700 persons have been moved into 54 relief camps in different districts. Several rivers are in spate and the sea is rough.
According to reports reaching the State headquarters, nearly 100 houses had been damaged, 16 of them totally, in different parts of the State.
Of the deaths reported on Saturday, two were from Pathanamthitta district and one from Kollam district. Two people died in Thiruvananthapuram district on Friday and one each in Kollam and Malappuram districts. A few persons are missing.
In Pathanamthitta district, about 300 workers who were marooned in a forest area at Kokkathodu, near Konni, were rescued by authorities.
Some hilly areas near Vithura, Palode and Kattakkada in Thiruvananthapuram district were cut of from the rest of the district following incessant rain and landslips.
The Karamana and Vamanapuram rivers in the district are in spate. Crops in more than 300 hectares were damaged.
The State Disaster Management Authority has deployed teams for relief work in different parts of the State and the Fire and Rescue Forces have reached to marooned people with help.
Contact numbers outdated However, the emergency contact numbers and information on the authority’s website continued to be outdated.
The site had come under a hacker attack sometime ago and it was back online only recently. However, the data posted as back as in 2007 is yet to be updated.
Revenue Minister Adoor Prakash called upon the people and revenue officials to keep vigil in view of the continuing rain. There was possibility of more landslips in hilly areas and sea erosion in the coastal areas.
Tours to hilly areas and beaches should be avoided. Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president V.M. Sudheeran urged party activists to join the relief work.
