Hundreds of houses mostly in the tribal settlement areas were damaged and communication network disrupted following gusty winds that lashed the Marayur area from Saturday evening.
The winds continued till the morning creating a fear psychosis among the people. Most of the houses were damaged when the asbestos and tin-sheets fell in the wind.
Many trees were uprooted affecting the road transport and communication network, reports reaching here said.
Standing crops were also destroyed.
Largescale losses to the houses were reported in Marayur Babunagar, Kummittamkuzhi and Cherukad tribal settlements, Pampanmala estate, Pallanad, Pattikad and Alampetty tribal colony.
Many display boards on the roofs of the buildings fell down and cowsheds destroyed. Residents said that they had never experienced a severe wind like this in the past.
Many electricity posts were damaged after uprooted trees fell on them and the power connection could not be restored till evening on Sunday.
At the Pampanmala estate, about 120 families were affected as the roof tiles of were blown away in the wind.
Roof destroyed
The roof of the St. Mary’s Upper Primary School at Pallanad was completely destroyed and the broken asbestos sheets feel on the nearby road. The exposed classrooms were filled with leaves and rubble following the wind. An estate canteen and a hospital were damaged when roof tiles fell down at Pallanad.
Many houses in the tribal settlement areas of Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary were damaged. The worst affected were about seven houses in Alampetty settlement.
Though the velocity of the wind declined, it was still continuing on Sunday evening, reports said.
An official of the Maryur Krishi Bhavan said that they were assessing the damage.
Many coconut and arecanut trees fell down, he said adding that only in a high velocity wind the coconut trees get uprooted, he added.
