Hudhud left people powerless, thirsty

 

A day after the cyclone had hit the city, there is hardly any relief for the people. With no water and electricity and with many roofs blown away, most people could not cook and remained as refugees in their own homes.

 

A resident of Anakapalle, Mr M. Anjaneyulu, said that several roofs had blown away and houses had developed cracks and compound walls had collapsed. With no power supply, people were making a beeline to the groundwater wells to fetch drinking water.

 

Another inmate of a third-floor apartment at Marripalem, Ms Lavanya, said that since the glass windows were all broken, the house had filled with rain water and the family members had to take shelter in corner of a room in the second floor throughout the night.

 

With no power and communication system, the residents of Visakhapatnam, including those living in posh areas, were waiting for a helping hand. The condition of those having small children was miserable as milk was not available.

 

The same situation prevailed in other areas including Akkayyapalem, Sitammadhara, Narasimhanagar and even in Anakapalle and surrounding villages, which are 40 km from the city.

Relatives of those living in Visakhapatnam had been enquiring about the safety of their kin since Sunday but they could not get through as communication lines were down. However, some of the mobiles started working from Monday morning.