After two days of relentless downpour that claimed several lives, there has been respite from the rains in the north Kerala region. Though Friday opened with showers or light rains in many parts of the region, especially in the upland areas, soon the sun shone bringing relief to the people marooned in their homes and those staying in relief camps.
There were heavy rains around midnight in several areas in the region, which kept people in flooded areas sleepless. By morning, though, the rains had subsided and the sun shone.
However, people continue to stay in the government relief camps opened in all the districts by government agencies as well as by NGOs and private groups. For instance, in Kozhikode, there more than 23,000 people in the relief camps. In Malappuram, the worst hit in the Malabar region, over 2000 people are provided accommodation in the government-run relief camps. However, many more people are being accommodated in informal camps opened by NGOs, voluntary groups, political parties, mosques and madrasas.
Wayanad was cut off from the rest of the country because the road links to Kozhikode, Kannur and Karnataka were washed away over the past three days. Emergency repairs to the roads have helped re-establish the transportation links to some extent. Movement on the troubled ghat roads has picked up slowly.
Kasaragod has, to some extent, been spared of the intensive and extensive damage caused to homes, croplands and public infrastructure in other districts of the region. The district is now out of the `red alert.’ Kannur’s cities and coastal areas have been severely battered and roads, bridges and other infrastructure heavily damaged. But, the respite in the rains and flooding has brought relief to the district.
The shining morning sun has suddenly stirred hopes among evacuees of returning home sooner.
