Eight houses were washed away as high tide hit the Pillaichavady coast near Kalapet on Friday morning under the impact of Cyclone Mandous, which is expected to cross north Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, and the adjoining Andhra Pradesh coasts around Mamallapuram at about midnight on Friday.
Revenue officials said the houses were not inhabited as the families had been allotted houses in the Tsunami quarters. The houses were in a dilapidated condition due to rampant erosion of the coast, and were unable to withstand the impact of the high tide and the incessant downpour, and therefore, caved in.
“Work on the construction of a groyne to prevent sea erosion in Pillaichavady is underway. A major portion of the work is completed. However, high tides hit the coast owing to the cyclone and the houses were washed away. No one sustained injuries in the incident,” an official said.
The incident triggered panic among the residents who resorted to a road blockade on the East Coast Road, demanding the construction of groynes to prevent sea erosion. On receiving this information, Kalapet MLA P.M.L. Kalyanasundaram held talks with the agitators but they refused to budge. Traffic was disrupted on the ECR for over an hour due to the protest.
Meanwhile, Collector E. Vallavan visited Pillaichavady and inspected the damages to houses. A team from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) equipped with flood rescue equipments has been stationed at Pillaichavady.
