On Thursday morning, the day after cyclone Nisarga hit the Maharashtra coast at Alibag in Raigad district, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) personnel said the uprooted trees are blocking accessibility areas worst-hit through the natural disaster.
So, far, the NDRF personnel have not been able to reach the cylone-affected areas of Raigad district, where two deaths and destruction to properties have been reported.
A person (58) died after an electric powered pole fell on him at Umte village in Alibag, while a boy (10) was killed in the wall collapse at Shrivardhan taluka in Raigad district on Wednesday afternoon following the cyclone made landfall, the district authorities said.
“The areas, the location where the two deaths have been reported in Raigad district, will still be inaccessible. So far, we’ve n’t been able to identify the extent of the damage in those areas,” said Mahesh Kumar, inspector, NDRF.
“It’s been challenging to proceed for the south of Alibag, which is worst-influenced by cyclone Nisarga. Though we’re equipped with mechanical tree cutters, it’s tough to cut big tree trunks and take away them from your road that may be hindering our movement. We worked throughout the night to clear blockages on major roads from the district, where fallen trees, had disrupted traffic,” he added
Large aspects of Raigad district were devastated on Wednesday afternoon after cyclone Nisarga made landfall. Trees and electric poles were uprooted, communication lines snapped and damages caused to thatched and kutcha houses.
An NDRF team, which was deployed at Thane district, has become diverted to Srivardhan within the south of Raigad to undertake an assessment from the damages brought on by the cyclone.
Major state and national highways including Alibag-Pen, Alibag-Revas, the direction to Goa via Sukeli and Poladpur, Murud to Majgaon, as well as toUran and Karjat, and Pen are operational since Thursday morning, as fallen trees and communication cables were cleared by the NDRF personnel from the night.