Orange warning in 12 Kerala districts, more rains expected

The Kerala State Disaster Management Authority said cyclonic circulation over northern Tamil Nadu and adjoining areas would lead to isolated very heavy rainfall in several parts of Kerala.
A man rides a bike during heavy rain
A man rides a bike during heavy rain
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The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Thursday, May 19, issued an orange warning in 12 districts of Kerala for the day as the state continues to receive heavy rainfall. The IMD’s warning is in place in all the districts of Kerala except for Thiruvananthapuram and Kollam for Thursday.  The Kerala State Disaster Management Authority said cyclonic circulation over northern Tamil Nadu and adjoining areas would lead to isolated very heavy rainfall in several parts of Kerala.

The Central Meteorological Department, on Wednesday, May 18, had predicted isolated heavy and very heavy rainfall in the state for the next two days and heavy rainfall for the two days after that. Kerala has been experiencing heavy rainfall for the past few days and it has disrupted normal life in certain places of the state. Considering the heavy rains and to be better prepared for the early onset of monsoon in the state, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has issued a slew of directions to ensure that authorities were prepared to handle rain-related issues like landslides and flooding.

As per the instructions, local bodies are to prepare a list of disaster-prone areas in their jurisdictions and provide the same to the authorities concerned like police and fire services, ensure relief camps with adequate facilities are in place for evacuating people, and desilt gutters and rivers. The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has already deployed five teams to Kerala.

A red warning indicates heavy to extremely heavy rains of over 20 cm in 24 hours, while orange warning means very heavy rains from 6 cm to 20 cm of rain. A yellow warning means heavy rainfall between 6 to 11 cm. On Wednesday, a red warning had been issued for four districts — Kozhikode, Wayanad, Kannur and Kasaragod.

The State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA) has asked people to stay away from rivers and other water bodies until the rains subside. The SDMA has also asked people not to travel to hilly regions unless it's an emergency and to avoid night travel until the rain subsides. The district administrations have also warned the people against staying near coastal areas of high tide.

The IMD has earlier predicted that the Southwest monsoon, which is also known as Edavapathy in the state, is likely to bring its first showers to Kerala by May 27, five days earlier than the normal onset date.

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