The Kerala government has sought federal assistance to rebuild 444 villages declared as flood-ravaged as heavy rains continued unabated yesterday leaving a trail of destruction.
The state is also preparing to battle a possible outbreak of epidemics in the villages once the flood water recedes.
It cancelled next week’s Onam festival celebrations and ordered government agencies to spend the money on relief activities.
After a fresh wave of heavy rains in the hilly district of Wayanad, many villages are cut off as roads have been washed away. One man is reportedly missing.
Kannur, Kozhikode and Malappuram also witnessed landslides in morning, displacing more families.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said the state was facing the heaviest floods since 1924 and it would take many more days to bring normality to the villages. 
“We have lost 38 precious lives, and four people are still missing. Close to 20,000 homes were destroyed,” the chief minister told reporters after a cabinet meeting yesterday. 
“There are 439 relief camps sheltering 30,000 people. At a preliminary assessment, we have suffered a loss of Rs83.16bn. We have to rebuild 10,000km of roads.”
The Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB), the state-run hydropower producer, has opened its 27 reservoirs to ease the rising water pressure and most of the state’s 44 rivers are overflowing. 
“Many homes remain inundated, and the floods in highlands have even snapped the water supply to cities,” Vijayan said. 
He thanked people providing food and essentials to those living in camps and co-operating with the government in its efforts to alleviate the sufferings of the victims.
Donations are flowing into the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund with the Congress-led opposition also joining the drive with an open call keeping aside political differences.
Many contributed a month’s salary while film stars and expatriate businessmen including Yusuffali M A, B R Shetty and Dr Azad Moopen donated generously.
As the chief minister was speaking to reporters in the conference hall, superstar Mohanlal arrived and handed in a cheque forRs 2.5mn and urged all to follow.
Vijayan thanked the chief ministers of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu and film stars like Kamal Haasan and Suriya for their contributions.
He said the UAE Exchange and LuLu had agreed to waive off transfer charges and urged Indian banks to follow suit.
The Met department has predicted heavy rains accompanied by gusty winds in Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha, Idukki, Thrissur, Palakkad, Wayanad, Kozhikode and Kannur districts.


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