Many houses were badly damaged and standing crops in a vast expanse of land were destroyed in the heavy wind and rain that lashed Pathanamthita in the past 48 hours.
The monsoon fury was at its worst in Ranni taluk. A large number of trees and electric posts were uprooted and many houses damaged in the whirlwind that struck the small village of Mookkannur on Monday morning. One person was seriously injured when a teak tree fell over him. The Kurambanmoozhy area in the forest boundaries in Ranni remained inaccessible with the flooding of the causeway across the Pampa from Sunday.
District Collector P.B. Noohu, accompanied by revenue officials, visited Mookkannur and Kurambanmoozhy on Monday forenoon. Mr Noohu said the administration would take all efforts to address the problems facing the families settled in Kurambanmoozhy and would take up the demand for a hanging bridge across the Pampa at Kurambanmoozhy with the authorities concerned. Ayroor, Ranni, Mallappally, Kumbazha, and Eraviperoor were identified as the worst-affected areas.
Power supply has been disrupted in parts of Mallappally, Ranni, Konni, Thiruvalla, Adoor, and Kozhencherry taluks. As many as 160 electric posts have been uprooted in the Kumbanad and Eraviperoor areas alone. It would take at least three days to restore power supply.
An official survey team has assessed the loss in the district at ₹52.82 lakh. However, the actual loss is far more. Eighty seven houses have been partially damaged and six houses destroyed.
Standing crops in 7.15 ha have been destroyed and the loss estimated at ₹20.37 lakh.
The water level in the Pampa, Achencoil and Manimala rivers has gone up in the past 48 hours. The Pampa and Achencoil breached the banks at many spots.
