First Person
By Venkatesh Raghavan*
On Sunday morning, alerts started pouring in about gusty winds and heavy rains striking the Goa coast and heading towards Mumbai. Late Sunday evening, the city witnessed a mild drizzle amidst windy weather. It was early Monday morning by the time the cyclone made its trail visible.
There were a host of fallen trees blocking the highways and arterial roads at different points. Pydhonie, Null bazaar, Gol devil, Dadar, Kings Circle, and Sion areas falling within city limits were heavily flooded.
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Most streets that covered residential areas wore a deserted look as the high wind speeds made it difficult to walk on the road and also guard the umbrella. The few people who had ventured out had to walk in trepidation, as the trees on the sidewalks kept swaying menacingly.
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With pandemic enforced lockdown already in place, the city looked no different, all shops and establishments staying closed. The evening skies continued to stay menacing and frequent banging of doors across dwellings accentuated the fear syndrome.
However, the winds steadied down post 9 pm and Tuesday morning was a new story. The worst affected by the cyclone included the Covid center set up in BKC area by the government. The staff on spot were heavily tasked as they had to shift all the patients, beds and equipments well in time before the rain waters flooded the premises.
The commercial hub in South Mumbai was also drastically affected. The shops that stocked mobiles, accessories and chargers suffered heavy losses as all their goods got severely damaged owing to the incessant downpour seeping into their premises.
The rains receded by late night, with wind speeds also dropping to normal levels.
