More than 50 trees uprooted by heavy wind across the Nilgiris

Extreme wind uprooted 50 trees in Nilgiris, causing power outages and infrastructure damage, prompting school closures and assistance appeals.

A total of around 50 trees got uprooted over a 24-hour period between Sunday and Monday morning across the Nilgiris as extreme wind caused power outages and wreaked havoc on public and privately-owned infrastructure.

The dangerous wind led to the district administration announcing the closure of schools in Udhagamandalam, Coonoor, Kotagiri and Kundha taluks on Monday.

Officials said that around 50 trees had become uprooted since Sunday, and that over a 100 trees across the Nilgiris got uprooted and required clearing since the rain started on July 16.

The heavy wind that accompanied sporadic rain on Sunday and Monday morning led to damage to vehicles parked in Udhagamandalam town, including cars near the Government Botanical Garden and a mini-bus at Fern Hill Junction.

Most parts of Udhagamandalam and Gudalur towns have reportedly been without power since Sunday evening due to power-lines getting snapped by falling branches. A few houses too were reportedly damaged in Udhagamandalam.

Staff from the Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation, State Highways department, various civic bodies as well as Fire and Rescue Services department spent the best part of Monday clearing the roads and removing uprooted trees.

The Nilgiris MP, A. Raja and Tourism Minister K. Ramachandran visited heavily affected areas in Ithalar and Porthiada near Nanjanad to gauge damage caused to residential areas due to the heavy rain.