Cyclone Burevi: Coast of uncertainty

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: “I’m dead scared. But if we sit at home, who’ll feed us?” asks 78-year old Stella as she awaits a vehicle to pick up the paltry catch that the boatmen delivered in the morning at Valiyathura coast.She’s among the thousands of coastal residents who have been waiting with trepidation for Cyclone Burevi to arrive. With fishermen advised not to venture out into the sea, the coast adorns a deadly calm. 

Looks can be deceptive, says Cleetus and Lawrence,  two fishermen friends. “A calm and quiet sea, which looks like a vast and serene river-front, is what frightens us the most. The last time that happened, we were 20 kms off the coast and I still don’t know how we managed to get back to the shore alive,” says Cleetus. 
Exactly three years after Ockhi wreaked havoc in their lives, the coastal population is facing yet another impasse. Covid-19 restrictions have already dealt them a severe blow. With their lives gradually limping back to normal, the days-long ban on fishing dealt another blow. 

Some families from Valiyathura have been in government-run camps for some time now. Relief camps however narrate a story of pathos and chaos. With about 50 families living inside a UP school building with hardly any space to move around, many don’t prefer to stay at these camps. It’s election time. Most of the dilapidated structures along the coastline are pasted with posters seeking votes. Out there, hardly 100m from the seashore, high voltage campaigns are on. At a time when elections should’ve lifted spirits, the people here are literally at sea .