Cyclone Vardah left a trail of destruction in Vellore district, with Arakkonam bearing the brunt of strong winds on Monday. As many as 136 roadside trees were uprooted, 20,000 banana crops damaged and 573 electric poles came crashing down following strong winds in many parts of the district.
According to officials, Arakkonam and Nemili suffered the most, with the wind wrecking havoc. The cyclone damaged a total of 398 houses including 295 huts (207 partially and 88 fully damaged) and 92 tiled houses (89 partially and three fully). Six cattle and 5,000 poultry were killed in the cyclone. Six transformers were also damaged.
Collector S. A. Raman said power was partially restored in Arakkonam by Tuesday evening. While the damage to crops was still being estimated, initial assessments showed that banana crops on 250 acres of land were damaged in various parts of the district. Several roadside trees were uprooted in the strong wind. However, officials said that the trees were removed immediately to ensure traffic flow.
The district received an average rainfall of 90.47 mm during the 24-hour period ending 8.30 a.m. on Tuesday.
Sources said at least 1,500 trees were uprooted on the campus of the Regional Training Centre of Central Industrial Security Force at Thakkolam. The Naval base INS Rajali at Arakkonam and the 04 battalion of National Disaster Response Force also lost plenty of green cover.
Commercial Taxes Minister K.C. Veeramani and Collector S. A. Raman inspected the cyclone-affected areas in Arakkonam and Nemili taluks on Tuesday. Mr. Raman, in a press release, said that eight teams of police personnel, who were trained by the National Disaster Response Force, were removing the uprooted trees. On Monday, the district administration arranged for food for 4,970 passengers, who were stranded in various railway stations such as Arakkonam, Katpadi and Ambur in the district.
