The city witnessed heavy waterlogging following winds and rain late on Tuesday night. The worst, as always, was the KSRTC Bus Stand at Ernakulam where power outage and waterlogging caused severe discomfort to passengers and affected scheduled services. Passengers had to wade through shin-deep water to board long-distance services. Those who arrived by bus had to step into water, as bus crew refused to drop passengers outside the heavily-inundated station premises.
Trees were uprooted at Kakkanad and near Thevara ferry. Fire force personnel at the Gandhinagar station said they had received calls about trees that fell across the road in the two areas as heavy winds accompanied by rain resulted in some tense moments for Kochiites. Power supply was affected at several places due to broken power lines. Vehicular movement was affected along National Highway 66 and the main roads in the city.
Train diverted
The Jan Shatabdi train from Ernakulam to Thiruvananthapuram via Alappuzha was diverted through Kottayam on Wednesday after an uprooted tree near the Thuravoor section of the Railways blocked the tracks. Two passenger trains in the Ernakulam-Alappuzha route were also cancelled in the evening. The tracks were cleared by 8.45 p.m., according to the Southern Railway Ernakulam area manager Nithin Nobert. All the trains in the route were restored.
Emergency centre
The District Emergency Operation Centre with control room number 1077 was opened here on Wednesday in the wake of intensifying rain and storm over the region. The satellite phone at the district office was tested by calling the State emergency operation centre. Satellite phones were made available in all districts as the floods last year had made communication difficult between handling emergencies. Besides the toll-free number, the control room can also be reached at 0484 2423513. At the emergency centre, officials from the Police, Fire Force, Revenue and Irrigation departments are on duty round-the-clock.
