Drenched beds, a damp cupboard, appliances that have ceased to function, muddy floors and clogged toilet. Worse, six chickens she reared were found dead inside the coop. Sixty-four-year-old Thanka’s worst fears came true when she returned to her house at Pattoor after three days at a relief camp.
She was left with no option but to return to the camp that functioned at the Sree Vidhyadhiraja Balika Bhavan in Pattoor, where she is one among around 75 people, including 12 children, who were displaced in the recent floods. “One day’s rain was all it took to disrupt our lives. Many of us have lost all our savings,” Ms. Thanka, who has been earning her livelihood by selling milk and eggs in the neighbourhood, said. Thankfully, she could manage to save her cows in the confusion that reigned after floodwaters had risen in quick time.
Amith, a resident of Mulavana bund colony, had to shift to the Government Lower Primary School at Kunnukuzhy along with his family, which included his two-year-old son. A daily wager, he fears it could take at least two weeks for his family to return home, considering the damage suffered by the house in the floods. While those affected were satisfied with the welfare measures taken by the district administration, many like Amith were apprehensive about the consequences an extended stay at the facilities could have on the health of children and senior citizens.
There were also others, particularly aged people who did not have anyone to take care of them, who stared at an uncertain future. Viji of Kannammoola, also a daily wage worker, is worried that she might have lost all her official documents, including those pertaining to her land.