Heavy floods hit many villages of Devipatnam mandal of East Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh. These villages continued to be under water on Wednesday making residents’ lives miserable.
Though relief camps were being set up by the district administration, many villagers remained in their houses fearing their valuables would be stolen by miscreants. A few villagers like S. Nagu could not leave their cattle behind. To exacerbate, shortage of boats made evacuation of the stranded people very difficult.
Access roads damaged
The flood waters appeared to recede by around 2 p.m giving a sigh of relief to officials and villagers. But level started rising by 4 p.m.
Villages were cut off as access roads were badly damaged. Flood water was flowing over culverts that connect the Devipatnam mandal. Power supply remained cut off for the last one week.
“Neither we can communicate with rest of the world nor they,” rued Venkata Lakshmi of Devipatnam. Showing just-born babies in cradles, she said, “It is a big challenge for us to save the children from mosquitoes.”
Essentials in short supply
Officials claim rice, kerosene, edible oil, potatoes and redgram dal have been supplied for the victims. Villagers, however, dismissed it saying supplies did not match the number of families. Nagu pointed out that the kerosene was supplied when the floodwarning signal was raised.
“It was not sufficient as more than a week has passed,” he said.
Officials are trying to reach affected villages to shift the victims to safer places. As many as 4,000 people were shifted from Devipatnam, Toyyeru, Agraharam, Dandangi and A Veeravaram mandals to relief camps at Damannapallu, Musurimilli and Rampachodavaram.
“RTC buses and tractors have been deployed to ferry the villagers to relief camps. The situation is likely to ease in the next three days,” said officials.
A senior citizen T. Bapanamma, a resident of Agraharam village, did not take food supplied at the relief camp near Rampachodavaram. Doctors shifted her to nearby area hospital as she shown signs of hypoglycemia.
Health camps
With a high possibility of spread of water-borne diseases, health department officials are conducting health camps.
A senior citizen, S. Acchiyyamma died in Toyyeru village of Devipatnam mandal on Wednesday. She suffered injury while she was returning home after collecting essentials supplied by the officials.
“She sustained an injury in the hip. The medical team adminstered some injection. The staff said there were no medicines,” alleged her son S. Lakshman.
Narrating his travails, he said there were no boats to transport the firewood to cremate her.
“Initially, there was a problem finding dry firewood, now there is no boat. Her body is lying in the house that is nearly marooned,” he says.