Thousands who are picking up the pieces in coastal Raigad, Alibaug, where the damage is estimated Rs 250 cr, and residents of hilly Lonavla narrate their ordeal from triple whammy Coronavirus-lockdown-cyclone
The roofs were blown clean off some houses in Goregaon village, Mangaon tehsil
Though efforts to restore electricity and water supply are being made on war footing, Raigad is going through the worst aftermath of a natural calamity. Speaking to mid-day, district collector Nidhi Choudhary said, "The last time Raigad faced a cyclone was in 1891 and there are hardly any records available to ascertain the damage that happened then."
She added, "The worst affected are four talukas – Shirvardhan, Murud, Masla and Mangaon, where the tin and asbestos roofs of houses were blown off. The storm has damaged government schools, anganwadi centres, godowns, government offices, police check posts, electric polls and trees. Even 2,000 tonne of food grains rice and wheat kept in three government PDC godowns were completely damaged."
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The worst affected talukas in Raigad district are Shirvardhan, Murud, Masla and Mangaon, where the tin and asbestos roofs of houses were blown off
When asked about the loss Raigad has faced, Choudhary said, "The district has faced an estimated loss of over R250 crore and about 2 lakh houses have sustained minor to major damages. As per a government resolution, R5,000 is given for minor damages and up to R1 lakh for major damages to the affected families. Around R18,000 is given to each farmer under the said guidelines."
"We have found that six people, who were shifted to a shelter, had ventured out on the following day of the cyclone to check the condition of their house but were later found to be dead. Even 41 livestock died in the storm. As per the norms, next of the kin of the deceased will be paid R4 lakh and government will take care of the hospital bills of those injured. Similarly, those who lost their livestock, will be paid as per the NDRMA guidelines," added Choudhary. Many people have also lost their farm produces, mainly mangoes, beetle nuts, cashew trees etc.
The worst affected talukas in Raigad district are Shirvardhan, Murud, Masla and Mangaon, where the tin and asbestos roofs of houses were blown off
The collector further said, "A large number of electric polls got damaged, which has affected telephone connectivity. We were able to communicate through our HAM network, police wireless systems and satellite phones used by the NDRF. Even though there were network issues, we managed to mobilise about seven NDRF teams to the affected areas."
"Due to the pandemic, villagers whose main source of income was tourism have had a bad season this year. They were hoping for good business during monsoon but the cyclone has left many of them homeless and without food. Yet, they came forward to help the administration and rescue teams," said Choudhary. She added, "I have never seen such a positive spirit before. The people of Raigad lost everything, but instead of blaming the state government or the local administration, they helped in the relief and rescue operation."
"We are testing the water in wells and providing drinking water facility wherever possible. We have also requested Adani, Reliance and Tata Power to send their workers in order to help MSEB restore electricity at the earliest. Though the estimated loss is R250 crore, the actual loss will be much more," she said. On Sunday, five of the seven NDRF teams were sent back while two of them continue to help the administration.
Speaking about handling COVID-19 patients, Choudhary said, "We have been very clear from the beginning that all COVID-19 suspects and even positive patients from the district would be shifted to the designated quarantine and isolation centres in Panvel. This was actually done with the intention that in case of any emergency, serious COVID patients can be immediately shifted to designated hospitals in Mumbai for better care and treatment. Also, we wanted the primary health centres in the district to cater only to non-COVID patients so that no one is deprived of medical treatment."
Contributions for Raigad
District Disaster Response Fund
AC No – 38222872300
State Bank of India
IFSC Code- SBIN0000308
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