Chief Minister urges people to exercise caution in wake of heavy rain warning in next five days

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In the wake of the Indian Meteorological Department's rain warning, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said that people should be cautious. Orange and yellow alerts have been announced in various districts following the rain warning. An orange alert has been announced in Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha, Kottayam, Idukki and Ernakulam districts tomorrow. A yellow alert has been announced in Thrissur, Palakkad, Malappuram, Kozhikode and Kannur districts tomorrow. In a statement, the Chief Minister stated that a yellow alert has been announced today in Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha, Kottayam, Idukki, Ernakulam, Thrissur, Palakkad, Malappuram, Kannur and Kasaragod districts.

Caution should be exercised in hilly areas similar to the orange alert. Those in hilly areas should be shifted to camps immediately as a precautionary measure. Relief camps should be set up immediately in areas prone to landslides/landslides and floods. People should be shifted to camps as soon as the rains start. The camps should be set up following the Covid protocol.

An order prohibiting traffic to the Western Ghats hilly region from 7 pm to 7 am should be issued. District and Taluk Control Rooms should be on 24x7 alert.

The police and fire brigade should be ready for action with extreme caution.

Immediate action should be taken to prevent potential accidents due to trees, posts, advertisement boards etc. which are in danger due to strong winds.

Camps should also be set up in areas where sea attacks are more frequent and people should be shifted. Fishermen are not allowed to go to sea under any circumstances. A warning to this effect should be shouted over loudspeakers in fishing villages.

In strong winds, there is a possibility of trees falling, branches breaking, poles falling, and electric wires snapping. Precautions should be taken immediately to mitigate such hazards. Precautionary measures should be completed where necessary by checking the hazard potential of lines and transformers. Electric power houses and other important institutions located in low-lying areas should take precautionary measures against the possibility of flood.

The water level in the dams should be closely monitored and the situation should be reported to the district and state disaster management authorities in time. The notification also said that people should be very careful as there is a possibility of heavy rains in the coming days.