# Life has come to a standstill, leading to unforeseen Miseries and Chaos.
As I sit down to write, my heart is filled with a lot of emotions, like fear, anxiety, concern and deep sorrow. Its been 10 days since the heavy rains have been pounding our little state. It’s been one of the worst floods in a century. The cities and villages have been submerged by flood waters.
The whole state from Kozhikode in the north to Thiruvananthapuram in the south are devastated as the rivers are swollen and overflowing the banks. The heavy wind and the rough seas have battered the coastal areas. Nature has played havoc with the full state. Several people lost their lives in landslides and heavy flooding. Kerala has never been hit in its history by such floods.
The Kerala govt had sounded a red alert in 12 districts except for Kasaragode and Thiruvananthapuram. The raging floods have damaged areas along Periyar and Pampa rivers. Forcing people to leave their belongings and houses to escape to safer locations. Public transport in many parts of the state came to a standstill. Hundreds of people have died since the past 9 days. Lakhs of people have been rendered homeless. Hectares of agricultural lands have been destroyed.
As the closure of Kochi airport, flights have been diverted to Thiruvananthapuram. There was chaos at several railway stations in the state. As several passengers were left stranded when the trains got canceled. Kochi metro suspended its operation for a day when its yard got submerged in the floods. Bus services were affected after the highways have been submerged. Most of the helplines were jammed and the people got into panic situations.
Relief camps too got flooded. Casualties and deaths were reported when landslides occurred in the hills and valleys of Munnar, Kannur, Malappuram, Kottayam. The water level rose in all districts overnight especially on the banks of Pampa & Periyar. Pathanamthitta has been the worst affected in the last 3 days. As hundreds of people are trapped in their houses in Ranni, Chenganur.
Kerala has to be rebuilt and it’s going to take time as we have to start from scratch. The 14 districts from the north to the southern tip. Its been a big challenge for the rescue officers to evacuate the people as it was difficult to make them come to terms to desert their houses and belongings. Most of them started evacuation after much persuasion and after the water level rose up.
The Army, Navy, Airforce, Coastal Guards and the NDRF(National Disaster Respond Force) have been deployed. Several teams and the rescue activities are in full swing. Helicopters have played a very major role in the rescuing people from stranded areas. Hundreds of volunteers and fishermen with their boats joined the armed forces, NDRF, and state government agencies in massive operations from flooded locations. The Fire Force of Kerala, Tamilnadu, Karnataka, Odisha and Kerala Police too were involved in rescue and relief work at landslides.
Support from various volunteer organizations, NGO’s, individuals, and Government Agencies was rendered at relief camps. Many donated to the Chief Minister relief fund to help rebuild the flood victims lives. Food packets were distributed and they conducted medical camps. Many donated essential items and medicines to the people at various camps. People young and old volunteered to help with the groundwork. They lead a helping hand in their own way.
The main fear we all have is the outbreak of an epidemic most of the areas have been without power and drinking water. Many dead bodies and dead cattle have been found floating. We have to be prepared to prevent the outbreak of communicable diseases. When the waters recede we have to start the process of cleaning and disinfecting the areas. To prevent water-borne diseases we should ensure water chlorination and check the quality of our drinking water. We must do fogging and spraying in stagnant waters to prevent vector-borne diseases. We must be alert against ringworm infection, conjunctivitis, and it must be treated and chicken pox cases should be isolated
Today as I am writing this, we at Alappuzha are getting into trouble as an emergency situation has developed. Roads have been submerged and the water level is rising in the Punamada lake as it is seeping through slowly into our town. All the canals in the town have filled up and have overflown the banks. All the schools have been opened for the relief camps. Mass evacuation has been forced in the Kuttanad region, as the rising floods inundated thousands of houses. Past 10 days have been a great nightmare for every person in Kerala. It has been an unbelievable experience as every day every district was being hit mercilessly by mother nature.
Thousands have been fervently praying to God to stop the wrath of nature. I hope our prayers will be answered and hope every one of us will gain the strength to recover from the shock, pain, and trauma we have been going through these 10 days. Let us all join hands and build our state from scratch, as it is going to be a huge herculean task.
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