VEDARANYAM: As the cyclone was playing hide-and-seek on Thursday afternoon, people in Vedaranyam were oscillating between a life of fantasy and reality.
Some dismissed the cyclone as a hoax and some as media-created frenzy while some did suspect there was truth to all the weather warnings the state had been announcing so far.
Whatever it was, as the sun broke into a million shreds of crimson and darkness descended, Vedaranyam resembled a ghost-town — deserted and silent. Gaja was more than a hundred kilometres away but anxiety was visible in everyone’s face.
Even as late as 11 pm, the signs were far from ominous — a perfect lull before the storm, literally. When it started raining minutes later and as the mild wind turned into a gale, reality started sinking in. Those who thought Gaja might be just another storm were mistaken. It howled and wailed outside as rain pattered on roofs at over 100 kmph.
Windows rattled, doors squeaked in the hinges as the ferocity of the wind kept increasing. Sounds of broken branches, uprooted trees and flying boards punctuated by the rhythm of heavy rain turned the night scary.
Sheltered in a lodge in Vedaranyam far away from my family, it was a real test — of patience and belief. Though there was no electricity by evening, people kept track of the cyclone on their mobile phones, watching news channels or live updates until the Gaja intensified. Many stayed in rented rooms at private lodges while thousands stayed in government shelters.
Some even dared and recorded it in mobile phones but were forced to run indoors when it was unbearable. The sight of a person, who locals say was intellectually-challenged and homeless, holding his dhoti in hand running on the road while making loud scary noise, will be etched in my memory.
After more than an hour of battering, the storm receded for about half an hour around 1.30 am. That was the eye of the storm. It was quiet and warm. Some people even opened the doors to see what happened outside. Suddenly it started again.
This time the gust was stronger. Children started wailing. Until 4 am, there was no reprieve. Surprisingly, mobile network was working most of the time. Many got calls from their near and dear ones. In the last hour or so, however, connectivity completely got snapped. Hardly anybody could sleep until the storm passed.
Only in the morning did we realise the havoc. Thatched roofs were gone, some mud houses mangled. Even people who lived in houses with tiles had to take shelter with neighbours. N Srinivasan was one such soul. A BSNL tower at Suryaprakash’s house was knocked down. A road leading to the Vedaranyam government hospital was blocked by uprooted trees. The SDRF and NDRF personnel had cut them.
Inside the GH, Arun Pandian, a youth from a nearby place, had been admitted with a cut in his leg. He got hurt while he and his four friends were trying to rescue a family whose house had collapsed. As the day wore on, people started picking up the threads of what their lives were before.
CM takes stock
CM Edappadi K Palaniswami directed district administrations to carry out relief and rescue operations on a war-footing while deputing senior ministers to monitor work. He announced Rs 10 lakh solatium for the dead.