Large-scale damage to houses and standing crops were reported in the district on Monday following heavy rain accompanied by wind. Traffic on many roads, including the national highway stretches, was disrupted following waterlogging, landslips, and uprooted trees falling on them.
Traffic on the Kollam-Theni National Highway was disrupted for hours as the road was waterlogged at Kakkikavala, near Vandiperiyar.
Landslips were reported on the Kochi-Dhanushkodi National Highway near Munnar. However, it did not affect traffic.
The police are on vigil in areas where earth works have been done to widen the national highway in view of the heavy traffic during the kurinji season scheduled to begin next month. An official of the Munnar police station said that police officers were deployed in the areas of the Ghat Road where earth works were done and chances of landslips prevailed. The police were diverting the traffic there, he said. Following a major landslip on the bypass road near the Munnar police station, the traffic was blocked.
A house and acres of land were washed away in a major landslip at Methotty, near Thodupuzha, on Monday. No casualty was, however, reported. Landslips were also reported at Vandiperiyar, Kattappana, Teekoy, Peerumade, Ashramam and Kuzhipally near Thodupuzha.
According to official estimate, 17 houses were damaged and four houses destroyed in the heavy rain and wind on Monday. Maximum houses were damaged in Udumbanchola and Thodupuzha taluks.
Minor landslips were reported at many places in the High Ranges.
Edamalakkudy inside the Munnar forest division remained cut off with the only road connecting the village with the outside world being washed away in the rain last month.
Many tribal settlements like Memarikudy in the Idukki Wildlife Sanctuary were isolated due to landslips and the presence of wild animals.
Twenty-nine families of Thankala Jawahar Nagar colony in Kothamangalm forest were shifted to a nearby school after their houses were flooded. Water entered 12 houses in the Periyar Nagar colony at Kumily.
Search operations for a family that went missing on Saturday in Munnar could not be resumed due to unfavourable weather.
Body recovered
The body of Vishnu, who had gone missing from Rajakkad Ennar city, was found in a pond near his house on Monday.
There was a lull in rainfall and wind in the Marayur area which has been affected for the past two days. It is estimated that nearly hundred houses were damaged there.