PM visits disaster-hit Wayanad, says Centre will provide all possible help in relief, rehabilitation

Modi’s visit gives hope to landslide survivor

PTI, 10 August 2024, WAYANAD, : rime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday assured the Centre will provide all possible help in the relief and rehabilitation efforts in the landslides-hit areas of Wayanad district.

Modi said everyone's prayers were with the survivors of the landslides, which he said had 'shattered' the dreams of several families.

The Centre will stand together with the Kerala government on helping those who lost everything in the disaster, he said. The landlides have claimed the lives of 226 people so far, while over 130 are missing.

The PM was speaking during a meeting held at the District Collectorate in Wayanad to review the situation on the ground and work out a plan for the rehabilitation of the landslide victims.

Ever since the tragedy unfolded, he has been in "touch here" and receiving constant updates.

He said he heard from the survivors what they witnessed and experienced and termed the landslides as nature displaying its "furious form."

Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, Union Minister Suresh Gopi, ministers of a cabinet sub-committee camping near the disaster site, senior bureaucrats and officials of the local administration were present in the meeting.

Earlier in the day, Modi arrived in Wayanad by helicopter from Kannur airport where he landed around 11 am on Air India One.

On the way to Wayanad, he carried out an aerial survey of the landslide-ravaged areas of Chooralmala, Mundakkai, and Punchirimattam hamlets aboard an Indian Air Force helicopter.

Thereafter, he landed at the SKMJ Higher Secondary School in Kalpetta here and then travelled by road to Chooralmala, where a 190-foot-long Bailey bridge had been built by the army after the disaster.

The PM walked on the bridge, while surveying the damage.

He also trekked through the disaster-stricken Chooralmala to get a firsthand view of the destruction caused by the July 30 landslides.

Modi also visited one of the relief camps, which is home to many of those displaced in the massive landslides, and interacted with some of the survivors, including two children who lost their loved ones in the disaster that has claimed over 200 lives.

He spoke to them, heard their concerns and needs, and tried to comfort them, according to visuals shown on TV channels.

Modi placed his hands on the heads and shoulders of the victims as they broke into tears while recounting their ordeal to the PM.

Modi also went to Dr Moopen's Medical College where many of those injured in the landslides are undergoing treatment, met with some of the survivors and assured them of all requisite help.

After the review meeting got over, the PM left for the SKMJ Higher Secondary School in Kalpetta from where he will travel by helicopter back to Kannur airport. 

Modi’s visit gives hope to landslide survivor
PTI, WAYANAD, AUG 10, 2024 : Ayyappan, a survivor of the devastating landslides that swept through Mundakkai hamlet in Wayanad, is left with nothing—no home, no family, and no future. 

But a chance meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi at a relief camp on Saturday has rekindled a glimmer of hope for the elderly person, who lost nine relatives in the disaster and is now pinning his hopes on securing a new shelter. 

"Twelve of us from the camp met the PM. There were children too. There was a person who was translating everything. I just asked for a home. He assured all help," Ayyappan told newspersons. 

Ayyappan, who interacted with Modi, said that he explained everything to the Prime Minister. "I told him that nine members of my family were lost. We lost our land, but land is not the issue—I lost my family," Ayyappan said. 

"The PM held my shoulders when I narrated my losses," he said. Ayyappan also said he was clueless about what to do after leaving the camp as his house was gone in the landslide. 

Meanwhile, Dr. Charlie, who was part of the medical team that met the Prime Minister, apprised him about the condition of the camp inmates and the psychological and traumatic issues they face. 

"He (the PM) inquired about the condition of the inmates, the number of recoveries, the advanced treatment, and the issues faced by the inmates," Charlie said. The inmates have nightmares over the disaster, he added.