Wayanad landslides: In relief camps, dazed survivors stare at bleak future

Meppadi (Wayanad): Hundreds of persons who survived Wayanadu's worst landslide share the memories of their ordeal on the fateful Tuesday night as any talk of future brings big questions.

For 73-year-old Gauri, who evacuated her ancestral house with four members of family to a small village located near the famous trekking point of Chambra peak, any talk of a better tomorrow seems illogical. "I came to that village as a toddler and grew up my entire life there. My father worked in the coffee estate and secured a house for us," she said at a shelter provided on top of Aroma Inn, a hotel in Meppadi.

Gauri's son Madhavan M, a tea estate labourer who earned Rs 7000 per month, said he received a call from his neighbour at 2.30 am on Tuesday. "I went out and saw that the water was bursting out of the ground at three to four places behind my house. I waded back in the knee-deep water and rushed all members of my family out. The house is still there on the hill. But seeing what has happened at Mundakkai, can we ever go back? We don't know what lies ahead for us," he said as his wife Sushila and two young children looked on.

At the Government Higher Secondary School in Meppadi, hundreds of persons who survived the devastation at Mundakkai stood in line to receive aid. From food and medicine to free mobile phones, they had all the facilities left.

Media persons were not allowed inside the camps. A senior official from the revenue department said they have received orders to limit journalists' access to the ground which has been converted into a make-shift kitchen and large dining hall. "It's a step to ensure the survivors are not disturbed unnecessarily. Any inmate in the camp can be interviewed outside," the official said.

Four days into the disaster, some survivors carried a dazed look with their emotions bordering on disbelief. Many stood in front of cameras and recounted their misfortune in a trance-like narration. The strong odour of disinfectants hung thick in the air.  

Mahadevi, a 52-year-old woman who lost her house at Chooralmala,  told DH that it was difficult to fathom the reality that her house has been washed away. "We are alive. But all those things that were part of our life are gone. I can't see the images of the landslide at Chooralmala. Where will we go from here," she asked.

A senior official in the revenue department said the government has recognised the psychological trauma caused by the disaster as a major issue that needs to be addressed. He pointed to a class room which had been designated as a counselling room.

"We are regularly speaking to the inmates in the camp. We follow the standard procedure to evaluate their condition. Some of them open up. For others who need care, we give counselling and advice to family members or relatives on specific care required," she said.