Heavy showers and gusty wind that accompanied cyclonic storm Gaja threw city life out of gear on Friday. Though the wind and rain uprooted trees and snapped power lines, no lives were lost in the district.
Huge trees were uprooted in the wind and rain that lashed the city in the afternoon. Trees were uprooted at Panampilly Nagar, Lissie Junction, Thykoodam and Chilavannoor Bund road area, disrupting power supply and vehicular movement.
One transformer caught fire near Vyttila, an official of the Fire and Rescue Services Department said.
As many as six trees had to be cut into pieces and removed for restoring road traffic in the city, he said.
Power supply to a large number of areas was disrupted in the evening. The affected areas included Puthuncruz, Vyttila, Thripunithura, Eroor, Mattanchery and Thoppumpady. Power lines were snapped and electric poles were damaged as trees got uprooted.
The quantum of loss will be clear only by Saturday, said an official at the control room of the Kerala State Electricity Board.
Board official said field staff were working late in the night to restore power supply. Around 90% of the cases were attended and power supply restored as night progressed, he said.
The day began with a drizzle which gathered strength by afternoon.
Heavy showers slowed down vehicular movement along the city roads leading to traffic snarls. Service roads along the Vyttila-Edappally stretch of the national highway were flooded as rain battered the city.
The district administration had declared orange alert after evaluating weather predictions. Control rooms were also directed to function round the clock considering the probability of extreme weather conditions.
