A week after Titli, struggle for food, shelter continues

SRIKAKULAM: K Janakamma, who ekes out a living by selling dry fish after her husband’s death, in Mandasa mandal of Srikakulam district, is now looking back in horror at what Cyclone Titli did to her hamlet — it flattened her hut, forcing her to move to a relative’s house. A week after the cyclone made landfall on October 11, Janakamma is scrambling for food and water. She shares her plight with D Jayamma, who used to run a kirana shop in a corner of her home in Borivanka village of Kaviti mandal. She too has lost her livelihood as well as shelter. Jayamma complained that no government official has come around to estimate her loss. “I have nothing, no money, food or home," she sobs.

It was even worse for G Krishna Kumari. Nine months pregnant and with no medical assistance within easy reach, Kumari watched helplessly as the cyclone blew the roof off her house in Isakapalli village of Mandasa mandal.



As per official records, at least 20,000 houses were flattened or fully damaged, while it left another 16,000 houses severely or partially damaged. Even a generous count puts the homeless people at 1 lakh. Life has virtually come to a standstill in the 23 coastal villages in Uddanam area, though it’s more than a week now since Titli ravaged their villages.

The victims say they cannot afford even a fraction of what it would take to rebuild their homes.

After their roofs collapsed, rains destroyed whatever was left inside, including electronic items, furniture, books, documents etc. Some distance away from the coastal villages, the severe weather system has flattened the coconut and mango groves beyond recognition.

Maddu Rajarao, an ex-MPTC of Ramayyapatnam, says the cyclone damaged every second house in mandals like Vajrapukotturu, Kaviti, Mandasa and other nearby mandals. “The loss is beyond the capacity of these victims as even a normal repair will cost tens of thousands of rupees. The crisis in the region has reached a point that people of one village take away all the food supplied by relief parties before the vehicle enters another village,” said Rajarao.

K Srinivasulu, minister for rural housing and information & public relations, said the estimated loss to the houses would be around Rs 400 crore. “We will provide Rs 2.5 lakh financial assistance for fully damaged houses, while Rs 10,000 will be given to families of partially damaged houses,” he said.