With over 10,000 people taking shelter in 109 relief camps in 54 villages, the district is all set to face nature's fury in the next two days.
District Medical Officer N.K. Kuttappan said that all the camps had enough medicines and none of the camps had reported any serious problem so far. A medical officer has been put in charge of each camp and Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA) workers have been assigned the work of sanitation and hygiene and ensuring availability of drinking water in the camps.
Arrangements have also been made to shift anyone requiring emergency medical attention to nearby hospitals, said Dr. Kuttappan.
All the primary health centres and community health centres would be open 24x7 till further orders of the District Collector.
People in many low-lying areas have moved to safer places. In Valiya Pazhampillythuruthu in Chendamangalam, the water level could rise if rain continues through the night, said Rinu Gileesh, ward member. Two relief camps in Chendamangalam were providing shelter while many had been sent to the camps in Paravur, she said. “People do not think it will be like last year,” she said.
Water receded a little in the afternoon, said Kochurani Joseph, vice president, Varapuzha panchayat. “But people are taking shelter in the camps as they fear staying in their houses at night could be dangerous if rain continues”, she said.
In Kothad, one of the Kadamakudy islands, houses in some of the low-lying areas were affected, though the water receded in the afternoon. As a precaution, two boats, one from the Disaster Management Authority and another from the State Water Transport Department, have been made available for any evacuation required or to shift any patient during the night, said Shalini Babu, panchayat president. Many parked their four-wheelers and two-wheelers on both sides of the container road as a safety measure.