Thiruvananthapuram district opened 271 relief camps and began evacuating people from vulnerable regions on Thursday as Cyclone Burevi is expected to cross the region on Friday after weakening into a deep depression.
As many as 177 residents of the ‘layams’, including at Ponmudi, have been evacuated to safer locations at Vithura as a precautionary measure. The evacuated included 69 women, 66 men, and 42 children. A 15-member National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) team deployed in the district had visited Ponmudi on Thursday morning to take stock of the situation.
The 271 camps opened in various parts of the district are capable of accommodating more than 15,000 people if the need arises, the district administration said. As many as 107 camps have been opened in Thiruvananthapuram taluk that can provide shelter to 6,095 people. Thirty-three camps have been opened at Chirayinkeezhu taluk (capable of sheltering 3,045 people), 16 camps in Varkala for accommodating 700 people, and 20 camps in Neyyattinkara that can accommodate 2,000 persons.
The district administration has opened 12 camps at Kattakada (capacity 1,000 people), 29 camps in Nedumangad taluk (capacity 3,000). The Kerala Water Authority (KWA), Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB), and the Civil Supplies Department have been directed to provide water and electricity supply and stock food at the camps.
Minister’s reassurance
Minister for Tourism and Cooperation Kadakampally Surendran, who is coordinating the arrangements in the district, ruled out the possibility of large-scale devastation as the weather system was expected to decrease in intensity as it approached Kerala. Nonetheless, heightened vigil was being maintained in the district, he said.
District Collector Navjot Khosa toured the coastal areas of Muthalappozhi, Anchuthengu, and Valiyapalli. She advised the fishers not to venture out to sea until further notice. Ms. Khosa also assessed the arrangements at the relief camps opened in the coastal areas.
Four spillway shutters of the Neyyar dam have been opened 30 cm each as part of the efforts to maintain safe storage levels, given the possibility of heavy to very heavy rainfall on Friday. All shutters of the Peppara dam have been opened by 10 cm each. Two shutters of the Aruvikkara dam have also been raised, the administration said.
