Cyclone Nisarga: NDRF teams unable to reach worst-hit areas in Raigad

Large parts 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.

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 access to the areas worst-hit by the natural disaster.

An NDRF team, which was deployed at Thane district, has been diverted to Srivardhan in the south of Raigad to carry out an assessment of the damages caused by the cyclone.(Satyabrata Tripathy/HT Photo)

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 man (58) died after an electric pole fell on him at Umte village in Alibag, while a boy (10) was killed in a wall collapse at Shrivardhan taluka in Raigad district on Wednesday afternoon after the cyclone made landfall, the district authorities said.

“The areas, where the two deaths have been reported in Raigad district, are still 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 difficult to proceed towards the south of Alibag, which has been worst-affected by cyclone Nisarga. Though we’re equipped with mechanical tree cutters, it’s difficult to cut big tree trunks and remove them from the road that is hindering our movement. We worked through the night to clear blockages on major roads in the district, where fallen trees, had disrupted traffic,” he added

Large parts 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 been diverted to Srivardhan in the south of Raigad to carry out an assessment of the damages caused by the cyclone.

Major state and national highways such as Alibag-Pen, Alibag-Revas, the road to Goa via Sukeli and Poladpur, Murud to Majgaon, and to Uran, Karjat, and Pen are operational since Thursday morning, as fallen trees and communication cables were cleared by the NDRF personnel through the night.