Cyclone nightmare still haunts people

• Even after a week, they fear to enter streets
• Not even a tree remains unbroken
• Essential commodities, vegetables scarce
• When the city recovers is anybody’s guess

Visakhapatnam: Nightmare of ‘Hudhud’ devastation is still haunting the people here even after a week it struck--a calamity they had not experienced in 25 years.

Despite best efforts of officials to restore normality, residents are still to forget the nightmares of high velocity wind pounding the city. Not even one tree remained unbroken.

Residents of an apartment on the Beach Road recall how they huddled together in fear as flats on top floors shook violently when winds gusting up to 200 kmph swept the city.

Those living in upper floors abandoned their flats, as wind ripped apart doors, shattered windowpanes, and took shelter in the first and second floors. A car parked on the seventh floor in a showroom plunged to the ground with a bang. The noise frightened people in the vicinity.

The people have not been able to share their frightening experiences with their dear ones as almost all mobile phones lost signals. Of the dozen operators providing services in the City, none except BSNL, could restore services even now.

The steel city, famed as AP financial hub, is in a shambles. Dreams of the people to see it as a smart city have been shattered. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s announcement of Rs 1,000 crore as immediate relief and his assurance that the Centre would come to the people’s rescue gives hope.

The cyclone loss is said to be a staggering Rs 1 lakh crore. How long it will take for the city to get back its past glory is anybody’s guess.