Heavy rain and lashing winds battered the State on Friday under the influence of the deep depression over the Arabian Sea which is expected to intensify into a cyclonic storm during the weekend.
Although Kerala is not in the track of the northward-moving weather system, sea erosion has been severe in the coastal districts, forcing district administrations, which are already burdened by the COVID-19 cases, to evacuate scores of families.
Red alerts have been sounded for five northern districts — Malappuram, Kozhikode, Wayanad, Kannur and Kasaragod — on Saturday given the likelihood of extremely heavy rainfall (in excess of 20 cm in a 24-hour period).
Kollam, Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha, Kottayam, Ernakulam, Idukki and Thrissur have been put on orange alert for scattered heavy to very heavy rainfall. Thiruvananthapuram and Palakkad, which are on yellow alert, can expect scattered heavy rainfall on Saturday, the IMD indicated. Rainfall is likely to continue till at least May 18 in parts of the State.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said the government machinery was on high alert to tackle contingencies. Nine teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) have been deployed in Kollam, Alappuzha, Idukki, Ernakulam, Thrissur, Malappuram, Kozhikode, Wayanad and Pathanamthitta.
One team of the Army’s Defence Service Corps (DSC) is stationed in Kasaragod and two in Kannur. Two teams of the army are on standby in Thiruvananthapuram, and an engineering task force in Bengaluru. The Indian Air Force also has two helicopters on standby for emergencies.
As per available data, 17 relief camps have been opened across the State, accommodating more than 300 people. Seventy-eight families have been evacuated to camps in Thiruvananthapuram district. Camps have also been opened in other districts, including Kollam, Alappuzha, Idukki, Ernakulam.
