Article. Writting. About. Kerala. Flood
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Kerala has hit the headlines because it was flooded in an epic, possibly unprecedented calamity. Large tracts of low-lying areas, villages and houses were underwater for almost a week in many places. The numbers who perished, according to the Kerala government website, are over 370. More than a million people are displaced. More than 3,000 relief camps were opened. Over 42,000 hectares of crops are destroyed. There were 537 landslides and 221 bridges collapsed.
Preliminary estimates cite a loss of more than 3 billion US dollars (about 20,000 crores in Indian Rupees). Rough surveys reckon over 10,000 km of roads are damaged. The states farmers, around 2.6 lakhs of them, have lost crops, cattle, goats and other livestock.
Unbelievably, a number of trolls have been sending messages on WhatsApp asking fellow Indians not to send money or relief supplies to Kerala. They've been messing with the wrong people, because Keralites will always put up a fight. So a few have been exposed and named by an army of IT experts. Presumably, hopefully, they will be punished.
Hate them or love them, the magnificent thing about Kerala is its people. The resilience, the can-do attitude of Keralites is legendary. For readers who don't know this, Keralites have migrated all over the world. They adjust to local cultures, while retaining their roots, traditions and ethnicity. They generally set about immediately, to learn the language of their adopted land. They are known to be exceptionally hardworking and capable. And most keep a wry sense of humour alive at all times.
Social media is buzzing with heartwarming as well as heart-rending stories. People did not want to abandon their homes. Most felt if they moved upstairs, or as a last resort, to their rooftops, the water would begin to recede. They’d hang in there and manage to survive. But the rain wouldn't stop. Only then did the frenzied, desperate calls for help begin. People with dead relatives, forced to tie the corpse to a railing to prevent it being washed away; pregnant women about to deliver – the stories poured in.