Intense rainfall of over 300mm in two hours triggered flash floods in Pathanamthitta, Kerala. The Pamba River overflowed, submerging Ranni town in waist-deep water. A red alert is in effect, and multi-department rescue operations are underway.
Amid heavy rainfall in Keralam's Pathanamthitta, District Collector Nizamudeen A outlined the sheer intensity of the situation, saying that more than 300 millimetres of rainfall fell within two hours.
Speaking to the reporters, he noted that the police force, fire force, and revenue department, along with panchayat officials, are at the site, keeping the situation in check. "Last night by 11:30 PM, we received severe rainfall, more than 300 millimetres of rainfall within two hours. That was a major cause of this particular flooding. We are trying to evacuate the people from the houses that have been affected. The entire police force, fire force, and revenue departments, along with panchayat officials, are here. Today also we have the red alert, so we are taking the utmost care to take all the actions," he said. Rescue operations by the administration and emergency teams are currently underway.
Flash Floods Submerge Ranni Town
Meanwhile, extremely heavy rainfall in the hilly regions of Keralam's Pathanamthitta triggered sudden flash floods, causing the Pamba River to overflow and submerging several parts of Ranni town under waist-deep water.
A textile shop owner, Shanaya Abooti, describing the grim situation from near the Ranni bridge, said that the water level is too high to even reach the shops. He underlined that the people have been evacuated from their homes; however, their belongings have not been moved. "The flooding in Ranni happened very suddenly. Not a single trader is here at the moment because most of them come from distant places and are unable to reach the town. Even those who are here cannot enter their shops to move their goods. The entire area is submerged. It is impossible to tell where the road ends and the river begins. The water level is too high to even reach the shops. We are now standing near the bridge because there is no way to go further. People have been evacuated from their homes, but none of the household belongings has been moved," he said.
IMD Issues Weather Warnings
In Keralam, the red warning is in effect for the Alappuzha, Ernakulam, Idukki, Kottayam and Pathanamthitta districts. The IMD has also issued an orange warning for thunderstorms and lightning with gusty winds of 40-60 kmph and moderate rain of 5-15 mm per hour in several districts of Keralam, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Assam. In Kerala, the orange warning covers Kannur, Kasaragod, Kollam, Kozhikode, Lakshadweep, Malappuram, Palakkad, Thiruvananthapuram, Thrissur and Wayanad.
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