India

Cyclone Mekunu brings daily life to a standstill in Mangaluru and Udupi

Cyclone Mekunu brings daily life to a standstill in Mangaluru and Udupi

The coastal city of Mangaluru (Mangalore) and Udupi was hit by a tropical cyclone named Mekunu resulting in heavy rainfall and flooding. The continuous rainfall triggered flash floods in many areas of the city which has resulted in damage of property and it has put the city life to a halt. Power has been cut in several parts of the city. Strong winds caused by the cyclone uprooted trees and blew light structures in several towns and villages in coastal Karnataka.

Some parts of Mangaluru and Udupi district received a record rainfall in the range of 340  mm which is twice the normal range the city receives as the normal rainfall in the month of May for Mangaluru is 168.6 mm.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast, “Heavy to very heavy rain at isolated places very likely over interior Karnataka.” Due to the rainfall and flash floods all the educational institutions will be closed tomorrow on the announcement of the Dakshina Kannada administration. Nalin Kumar Kateel the BJP MP from Dakshina Kannada visited the rain-affected parts of Mangalore.

The Mangaluru City Corporation also launched 24 hours Monsoon Helpline Centre where locals can reach the officials on 0824-2220306 to register the complaints. The officials are active on twitter sharing constant updates about the city’s conditions, they are also sharing helpline numbers to be used by the affected individuals. Bollywood celebrities are also urging the locals to stay indoors ans stay safe.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi also tweeted saying that all assistance would be provided for those affected in the rains. “I pray for the safety and well-being of all those affected by heavy rains in various parts of Karnataka. Have spoken to officials and asked them to ensure all possible assistance in the affected areas,” he tweeted.

Relief operations are being carried out by several teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) in Mengaluru. The home ministry has told the NDRF to be on standby for bigger relief operations and if needed more teams will be sent to coastal Karnataka.

Due to the lack of drains, certain areas like Kottara Chowki, PVS, Kodialguthu, Panjimogeru, Adyar, Kadri Kambala, and Yekkuru witnessed major flooding. And because of no drainage system the city’s roads were also flooded with rainwater halting the traffic to a standstill.

 The flooding and the rainfall has also affected the travel and tourism department where due to poor visibility and heavy rainfall many flights had been diverted from its course of Mangalore while because of the flooding caused by the rain the Mangaluru Central Railway Station had been flooded with rainwater.

 

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Aman Kumar Singh

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