A house in Kiphire village whose roof was blown away by heavy winds. (Morung Photo)
One dead, two injured, more than 180 houses damaged, blackout in Kiphire
Morung Express News
Kiphire | May 14
The cyclonic storm that roared through Kiphire on Monday evening left one person dead and two injured while damaging more than 180 houses and 3 schools.
The strong winds accompanied by heavy rain lasted for around half an hour blowing away roofs, thatched houses, and swamping towns and villages in the district.
The one casualty was caught in the middle of the storm while returning from the field. While details of the injury sustained was not confirmed, he passed away on his way home amidst the storm. Speaking to The Morung Express, ADC Reny Wilfred IAS, Kiphire informed that the two injured persons were hit by flying CGI sheets—one badly cut and is currently undergoing treatment, while another sustained a head injury. The ADC informed that six teams have been formed at the district HQ under the supervision of the district administration to co-ordinate the situation immediately after the storm. District Executive Force (DEF) Officers are also providing necessary assistance, as efforts are ongoing to assess the damage and casualties.
The NSDMA meanwhile informed that Kiphire Town along with Longmatra town, Longmatra village, Okhe village and Longthonger village were affected.
Narrating the frightening ordeal for many during the storm, Tsilongchum, a daily wage labourer and father of four, whose house was totally damaged, said: “it was extremely scary; when our house was blow apart in-front of our eyes. Everything is gone now and I’m worried how I’m going to re-build my house again.” “I invested all my earning in building my house, but now it’s all gone within a few minutes.”
Just a few feet away, Chothrongse whose house was also damaged in the cyclonic storm, was still shaken by what had happened. “We have never experienced this scale of destruction and loss in a few minutes and it pains me to see my house totally destroyed. It was so sudden that we couldn’t save anything.” Chothrongse stated.
The ADC meanwhile informed that right after the storm, a team moved around with wireless sets and coordinated with the district administration, while working towards ensuring that all roads were pliable by 10:00pm and medical assistance was provided to the injured victims.
He also informed that as live wires were damaged extensively, there was power cut in the district after the storm. A request has been made to the Phek Deputy Commissioner to send an electrical technical team from Phek to help in restoration of power lines.
The district administration also undertook verification and assistance drives starting 5:30 am on Tuesday morning to assess the magnitude of the damages caused by the storm.
Meanwhile authorities have declared a holiday in schools affected by the storm in order to take up restoration works.
The ADC said that restoring the affected schools was an urgent requirement so that classes can resume with a day or two, adding that financial support would be vital towards such efforts. Further, there is an immediate need for electrical maintenance materials as power lines and around 20 to 30 electrical poles (as per preliminary estimate) have been damaged.
The ADC informed that emergency relief will be given to those families affected the most by Tuesday evening.
Damages reported from Dmp, Phek, Wokha and Tuensang
Besides Kiphire, four other districts of Nagaland state also reported damages caused by the extreme weather events of Monday evening, informed the Nagaland State Disaster Management Authority (NSDMA) today.
In a press release, the NSDMA informed that 15 houses were damaged in Dimapur, specifically in the areas of Ward 8 (Chümoukedima), Chekiye, Senjum, Molvom, Kupuhe, Vihoku, Thaheku and Padumpukhri. The affected areas included a market as well as a school. The NSDMA added that immediate relief has been initiated.
One house was severely damaged in Phek district, while 20 houses were damaged in Chudi, Moilan, Lotsu and Sanis town of Wokha district. Meanwhile, in Tuensang, 32 houses were damaged in Chessore and immediate relief has been initiated.
The NSDMA informed that further assessment of damages is still being carried out to ascertain the actual loss of properties. “All stakeholders and DDMAs are geared up to meet eventualities,” the NSDMA said. It urged all line departments, NGOs, and other stakeholders to be vigilant and be prepared for any kind of eventualities in days to come.
CM directs immediate relief
Nagaland Chief Minister, Neiphiu Rio has issued a directive to extend immediate relief to people affected by the storm. “Restoration of power, telecommunications and roads are to be done on war footing, especially in the districts of Kiphire, Phek, Tuensang and Dimapur,” the CM tweeted on his official twitter handle on Tuesday.
