SHILLONG/ TURA/ NONGPOH/ MAWKYRWAT, May 28: Cyclone Remal, which made landfall in Meghalaya on Tuesday morning, left a trail of devastation in its wake leaving one dead in East Jaintia Hills, houses and schools damaged in several districts and causing landslides and flash floods.
A house wall collapse at Sutnga Weilong in East Jaintia Hills left one person dead and two others injuries. The deceased was identified as Ohi Nongtdu.
The government sanctioned ex-gratia of Rs 4 lakh to the kin of the deceased in addition to compensation for damage of property and rehabilitation ration for the family.
At Mawkynroh Bypass under Mawlai C&RD Block, four people were injured following a landslide, all of whom were labourers. All injured persons were shifted to NEIGRIHMS for treatment.
Another alarming incident occurred at Bivar Road, where a wall collapse trapped individuals inside. Among them, one person sustained severe injuries and has been rushed to the hospital for treatment. Additionally, the entrance to an under-construction building in Oakland Bivar Road collapsed, leading to further peril for those residing below.
However, later the SDRF personnel cleared the entrance and rescued the two trapped individuals, while the injured person has been shifted to a private hospital.
The fury of the cyclone also triggered landslides in various locations including Bishnupur, Rilbong, Upper Lumparing, Dongpdeng, Lower Lumparing, Mawprem, Mynsain, Mawlai Bypass, Ryndang Briew, Mawiong, Upper Shillong, Mawkynrew, Laitkynsew, Iewpamthiah, Nongkrem village, and Tyrsad road. These landslides have caused significant damage to residential properties and infrastructure, disrupting normal life.
Flooding and water logging were also reported from several parts of the city.
A light tower at JN Stadium in Polo also collapsed.
WEST GARO HILLS
Most parts of WGH was hit severely with Tura being the worst affected. The town saw electricity poles being uprooted and trees falling on many houses, damaging them. The Tura Civil Hospital was also affected after a tree was uprooted and fell on one of the buildings.
As per latest reports, more than 88 villages with a population of 931 in the district were affected by Remal. Further 205 houses were totally or partially damaged along with 6 schools reported also being damaged. One anganwadi centre as well as a multi-facility centre was also damaged.
Meanwhile the town of Tura will remain in darkness for another night as many of the 11 KV feeder lines were yet to be connected despite a task force, with at least 80 extra manpower, is at various sites in an effort to restore electricity.
“LT line damages are extensive with collapsed poles and snapped conductors in diverse locations of Tura town. It will not be possible to restore the lines today,” informed WGH deputy commissioner, Jagdish Chelani.
Meanwhile, working on a war footing, the PWD department has been able to clear more fallen trees and its debris to allow for traffic to move smoothly.
One a positive note, there were no reported injuries despite the extensive damage with the sole reported injury coming in the form of a woman from Chokpot in SGH who has been admitted to the TCH for further medical care.
SOUTH WEST GARO HILLS
In SWGH, Under Betasing C&RD Block, 5 villages have been affected. These are Rongsang Songma, Chondonpara, Dalbotpara, Purasinga, and Betasing Khongpara. Under Rerapara C&RD Block, 12 villages have been affected, including Balalgre, Chigitchakgre, Jaluapara, Lower Damalgre, Lower Damalgre B, Chengjora, Abiselagre, Balnanggre, Gongglanggre, and Bolganggre. Under Zikzak C&RD Block, 3 villages, namely, Chapahati-I, Chapahati-III, and Kalaipara, have suffered damages. Under Purakhasia B&RD Block, 1 village has been affected.
Across the district, the total population affected by the cyclone is approximately 377. The cyclone has resulted in three houses being fully damaged and another 55 partially damaged.
Several roads, including Ampati Road and Kalaichar Road, were partially blocked due to uprooted trees. The Public Works Department (PWD) staff have been actively engaged in clearing the blockages and restoring road access.
Efforts are underway to transfer funds electronically to the bank accounts of those whose houses have been damaged. BDOs have been instructed to submit detailed damage reports within 3 days to expedite the assistance process.
The cyclone caused significant damage to electricity poles, substations, and power lines, resulting in a power outage. Restoration efforts are in full swing to ensure power supply is resumed at the earliest.
NORTH GARO HILLS
In terms of just numbers, the district of NGH has been worst affected. As per initial reports 3 of the 4 C&RD Blocks, Bajengdoba, Kharkutta and Resubelpara saw many houses being damaged and over 1,400 people being affected.
In Resubelpara 6 houses were fully damaged while 22 houses were partially so. Kharkutta saw 40 houses being fully damaged with another 80 more suffering partial damage while in Bajengdoba 42 houses were fully damaged and 67 partially damaged. While 87 people were affected in Resubelpara, 840 others were displaced in Kharkutta with 535 more in Bajengdoba being affected.
District authorities confirmed that all roads that had been impacted by Re-mal had been cleared for traffic though electricity is yet to be restored, despite everyone working overtime in their effort to bring back normalcy.
EAST GARO HILLS
While a full report on the damage is yet to be made available, authorities stated that some power lines have been disrupted which has affected supply. Meanwhile roads that were blocked due to uprooted trees and debris were cleared by PWD officials and volunteers. The worst affected, as per preliminary reports, was the Songsak C&RD Block with quite a few houses being reportedly damaged (fully or partially).
SOUTH GARO HILLS
In South Garo Hills, the damage caused due to Remal was less severe than the other districts though one woman from Chokpot was injured after a tree fell on her house. She has been rushed to TCH for medical care.
According to district officials, Rongara was the worst affected area with about 30 houses reportedly being damaged.
South West Khasi Hills
Remal caused several damages in both Mawkyrwat and Ranikor C&RD Blocks, causing minor landslides in different parts of the district and destroying more than 200 houses and 4 schools, affecting more than 1,300 people.
Official sources informed that four schools under Ranikor C&RD Block, Chitogre Govt. LP School, Bagli UP School, Mawphansaw UP School and St. Peter’s UP School, Borsora suffered major damages as the cyclone took off the roof as well as the house wall covered with tin.
Sources also informed that the district had received 218 mm of rainfall in the last 24 hours and accompanied with the cyclone, 201 houses were destroyed and a total of 1106 population were affected only in Ranikor Block while 31 houses suffered damages and 208 people were affected in Mawkyrwat Block. Minor landslides also took placed in two places blocking the roads from Mawkyrwat to Rangblang and Mawkyrwat to Ranikor.
The District Disaster Management Authority which has prepared to immediately respond to any incident taken relief measures by distributing tarpaulins to severely affected families and also cleared the roads.
Ri-Bhoi
Cyclone Remal had a relatively minor impact on Ri-Bhoi on Tuesday, with only a few incidents reported. By evening, the most significant disruptions were due to the uprooting of trees and bamboo on National Highway 6 near Umling village and flooding in several areas of the district caused by heavy rain.
The district has been grappling with power outages since Monday evening, and as of this report, electricity has not been restored. These outages have been a recurring problem in the district, particularly the district headquarters, Nongpoh, where residents had to endure long hours without power on a daily basis.
In Jirang constituency, the damage was more severe. A buffalo was killed when a tree fell on its shed in Mawskeithem. Betel nut trees were also knocked down in Mawskeithem and Mawskeilum, damaging local properties. Warmawsaw village saw damage to a kitchen, and more destruction of betel nut trees was reported in Umsohbar village. Several houses in Umkynsier village were damaged due to falling betel nut trees, and a house in Umtang suffered similar damage.
Despite these incidents, the overall impact of Remal on the district was limited compared to initial fears. Most areas experienced only minor disruptions. Authorities are continuing to monitor the situation and provide necessary aid to the affected regions.
Eastern West Khasi Hills
In Eastern West Khasi Hills, cyclonic storm and heavy rainfall at Mawnai under Mairang C&RD Block led to the damages of electric poles due to falling of trees.
One house each was partially damaged due to landslides at Nongkhlaw and Umthlong under Mairang Block.