IMD issues orange, yellow alerts as heavy rains lash Kerala

Thiruvananthapuram, June 27 (PTI) The India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued an orange alert for northern Kerala districts and yellow alert for nine other districts for Thursday as heavy rains continued to lash many parts of the state.

The rains and their subsequent impact on nature have prompted authorities to urge people to exercise utmost caution while traveling through hilly and inundated areas.

Earlier in the day, the IMD issued an orange alert for seven districts but revised it later.

The weather agency has now issued an orange alert for three districts -- Kasaragod, Kannur, and Wayanad -- and a yellow alert for nine districts in the state for Thursday.

An orange alert means very heavy rain of 11 cm to 20 cm and a yellow alert means heavy rainfall between 6 cm and 11 cm.

Heavy rains with maximum surface wind speed up to 40 Kmph (in gusts) is very likely to occur in many places in Kannur and Kasaragod districts, the Kerala State Disaster Management Authority said on Thursday.

Relief camps have been opened in Pathanamthitta and Alappuzha districts to accommodate people affected by the floods.

In view of the incessant rains and concerns of flooding, authorities declared a holiday for all educational institutions, including professional colleges, in the Pathanamthitta, Idukki, Wayanad, Ernakulam, Kottayam, and Alappuzha districts, as well as for educational institutions in the Iriti taluk of Kannur district on Thursday.

In Kasaragod, two young men had a miraculous escape this morning when their car was swept away while crossing a river via a bridge inundated by floodwaters.

Five families were relocated to the residences of relatives and rehabilitation centers after parts of Madhur village in the Kasargod district were inundated with floodwater.

Loss of crops and properties were reported in Periya village of Kasaragod due to flash floods, official sources said.

While heavy rains continue in the state, widespread damage has been reported in the lower areas of Kottayam district due to the wind that accompanied the rain.

In the Kumarakom area, billboards, sheet roofs of houses and institutions, and water tanks fell on the ground.