Kerala - Kochi   

Relieved Malayalis recount the trauma

M.P. Praveen

The first batch of 155 Keralites returns

KOCHI: Relief: that summed up the feelings of the first batch of 155 Malayalis who returned home on Saturday from the cyclone-ravaged Oman. They landed at Cochin International Airport by the Oman Air flight WY 827 from Muscat.

They put aside hours of agony, anxiety and sheer fear, as they walked into the embrace of their dear ones waiting at the airport since early morning. Reflecting the chaotic situation prevailing in the Gulf nation after the onslaught of cyclone Gonu, the flight, scheduled to arrive here at 6.15 a.m., came almost two hours behind schedule. But the relatives were not complaining. After days of uncertainty, they were patient enough to wait out that additional couple of hours.

Chilling descriptions of the ravage followed — stranded people helplessly watched their life-long savings being washed away by torrential waters. Geena, hailing from Kottayam, still felt the shudders on recollecting a lonely soul hanging on precariously to the debris of a broken roof close to five hours. Those who owned ground-floor apartments were literally left with the clothes they wore. Water rose many feet in a matter of hours and washed away everything they had, Vinil from Amballur said.

With telephone networks almost fully disrupted, life was like on a castaway island for many with no information even about people residing in the next building.

Drinking water had become the most sought-after commodity in the whole of Oman as the main pipeline from a seawater treating plant had been damaged, Ajesh from Palakkad said. The price of water hit mammoth proportions and could rocket even higher in the coming days, Geena added.

Roads and bridges were washed away; most parts of Oman still remained in dark with power supply yet to be restored, Mohanan Kalarikkal, a resident of Thrissur, recollected. For 12-year-old Shruthi it was a dream-turned-nightmare as her uncle's home where she had gone to spend her holiday got fully inundated. Ramesh from Vadakkancherry is still petrified as he described how Al Ansar, where he stayed, got flooded after the dam in the vicinity broke in the catastrophe.

More Malayalis are set to return here.

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