Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Friday said twin disasters confronted the State.
The threat of rain havoc has raised the spectre of mass displacement of people from disaster-prone localities.
Their accommodation in crowded relief camps and collective rescue work by large groups of people could potentially exacerbate the public health crisis caused by the unabated spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Resources stretched
The government's resources were stretched to the limit. Mr. Vijayan urged the public to contribute their mite to the effort to combat the twin calamities that threatened to overwhelm the State.
The mudslide in Rajamala had caught the government by surprise. It had occurred in a zone not considered geologically vulnerable to landslips.
Directive to Collectors
The administration was not taking any chances. It has ordered District Collectors to immediately move plantation workers living in unstable localities to safer zones till the inclement weather blew over.
Mr. Vijayan said the weather forecast for the State was grim. Rain was expected to intensify in north Kerala. Many rivers were already in spate. Shutters of several important dams have been opened to keep storage levels within the safety threshold.
Flooding threatened low-lying population centres such as Kochi. The State faced crop loss, destruction of property, loss of production, lack of employment and further economic depression.
The government has put the police on full alert. It has sought more units of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) for rescue work. The administration has requested the Indian Air Force, Army and Navy to remain on standby to reinforce State law enforcement, voluntary rescue units and emergency services if required.
Squally weather had prevented the IAF helicopters from sortieing into Idukki. They would carry out reconnaissance missions over the hilly district to identify landing spots and drop zones for relief and rescue operations.
The government had rushed battery packs, generators and inflatable light towers to the disaster-hit locality where emergency workers were sifting through the mud for trapped persons. Four billets with thirty rooms each got caught in the mudslide. At least 89 persons were missing. Rescue workers have retrieved 15 bodies. They have rushed several survivors to local hospitals.
A blind spot
Mr. Vijayan said the disaster zone was a communication blind spot.
A collapsed bridge, fallen trees, inundated roads and threat of mudslides had impeded the rapid movement of rescue teams.
Power outage and rain storm damage had rendered the local mobile phone network dead. The government has rushed special medical teams to the spot. Inspector General of of Police Gopesh Agarwal was heading the rescue work at the disaster spot.
