PUDUCHERRY, India—The death toll from cyclone Thane that pounded the southern coast of India on Friday, has risen to 47, as locals spent the first days of the new year struggling to recover.
Thane’s powerful 140 kmph (87 mph) winds and torrential rains battered fishing villages overnight Friday leaving a trail of destroyed homes, uprooted trees, and power outages on the Tamil Nadu coast and the territory of Puducherry (also known as Pondicherry).
As holidaymakers in the French town tourist area of Puducherry celebrated New Year’s, locals were preoccupied with salvaging belongings and worrying about how they will survive in the coming days.
“There has been no food for two days. Few food packets were supplied once,” said Lakshmi, 65, on Saturday, who lives on Puducherry beach.
“Water destroyed everything. Waves splashed atop our house and broke roof tiles. We took shelter in the nearby temple,” says Lakshmi while spreading the family’s soaked clothes retrieved by her grandson on the concrete to dry.
