Wayanad (Kerala): "Now when I return home, I have neither the house nor any neighbours. It rained so heavily that my family went to our elder daughter's house. In a single night everything has been washed away," Kartyayani, a resident of Mundakkai recounted.
Several houses, including Karthyani's home, were completely damaged due to the landslides. Karthyani, who had left her house on that night said they were shocked to hear the news of the tragedy and tried to contact their neighbours but could not get any response. Now, except the belongings that they carried with them while leaving their house, they have lost everything.
The landslides that hit Kerala's Wayanad district, left around 300 people missing and 308 dead while the survivors are battling with scarring memories. Most of them have not been rendered homeless and without families, but are completely traumatised by the experience they had encountered in the wee hours of July 30.
Another survivor, Sahir, lost 16 relatives including his mother and some family members. Among them, seven bodies were found but nine people are still missing. Sahir said he is waiting for these people to return.
Sahir, who lives in Mundakkai Chural High School Road, said the harrowing moments are still fresh in his memory. "When the land first cracked, my wife and children ran out while I called up to my mother and relatives but my calls went unanswered. In the meantime, another landslide hit and the muddy waters washed away everything," he said.
Sahir said that he had repeatedly tried to contact his relatives but their phones were switched off. "We would not be here today if we had not been alert after the first landslide. It was around 1.30 am and within no time water everything was swept away. We somehow managed to climb a nearby hill in the darkness but 15 metres away there was devastation," he recalled.
According to him, the third landslide was the most massive one as it caused complete damage. "I lost my mother, sister, brother's wife, and their two children. I tried to save whoever I could. I could hear screams of people who were trapped under the rocks but could not do anything for them. I just watched helplessly," he said.
On the other side, the Vellarmala School was washed out in the landslide at Mundakkai and among the 32 children, who studied here, 20 were found dead while 12 are still missing. When the Army had announced that there was nobody left alive for rescue, a pall of gloom had descended in the area.
Now, their classmates, teachers and close friends are praying to God for some miracle to happen so that the missing students are found alive. The teachers have prepared a list of 32 such students.
Among the bodies that were recovered 14 were boys and six girls. The 12 missing students, seven of whom are boys, belong to classes 6 to 10.
Meanwhile, several steps are being taken by the state health department to address the psychological trauma of the survivors, Health Minister Veena George said.
On July 30, the Health Department formed a Mental Health Disaster Response Team in the district and all disaster-related mental health activities were coordinated in the district under the mental health programme. The minister also clarified that only those who have an ID card, issued by the health department, are allowed to conduct mental health activities in camps and homes.
This team, comprising 121 certified mental health workers, including clinical psychologists, psychiatric social workers, and counselors under the leadership of a psychiatrist, offers mental health services by setting up help desks.
Special attention is being given to the problems of children, elderly and pregnant women. The health department is implementing a comprehensive mental health program in the affected areas of Wayanad to keep mental and social interventions strong as the symptoms of mental trauma caused by the disaster may appear weeks later and problems such as anxiety and depression may persist for a long time.
Along with this, the teams take special care to identify and provide treatment to those who are mentally ill and those undergoing treatment. Individuals exhibiting 'withdrawal' symptoms of alcohol/drug use are identified and treated separately.
This apart, the team also provides de-stressing interventions for health workers, revenue officers, police officers, local self-government department staff and other rescue mission personnel involved in disaster relief operations.
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Wayanad Landslides: Death Toll Climbs to 308, Police Say 300 Still Missing As Search Intensifies
