Hailstorm adds to woes of storm victims

Bara, April 9

Barely a week after they were rendered homeless by a tornado, a fresh hailstorm this morning added to the woes of the storm victims in Bara.

While today’s hailstorm damaged some of the tents that the victims are staying in, the rainwater entered other tents and soaked clothes and household goods kept there.

“Everything inside the tent is wet. We don’t know how we’ll sleep in this dampness and what we’ll eat,” said Nasima Khatun, a storm victim of Purainiya, Pheta Rural Municipality.

She said water had accumulated inside the tents of those victims who were camping in low-lying areas.

Another victim of Purainiya, Sayara Khatun, said, “Those whose kin lived nearby and had houses unaffected by the storm took their belongings there and saved them from getting soaked, but we couldn’t.”

A large number of tents pitched in Pheta Rural Municipality’s Purainiya, Bhaluhi and Bhalawariya, Subarna Rural Municipality’s Hardiya, Bagahi and Parasurampur, Devtal Rural Municipality and Mahagadhimai Municipality were shredded and blown away by last night’s storm accompanied by hail.

While the hailstorm uprooted electric poles and blew away roofs of houses in many places, at a few places the ongoing SEE was also affected. According to District Education Coordination Office Information Officer Ashok Rauniyar, exam was completed at the storm-affected centres by allowing more time.

“Wherever the exam was affected due to the storm, an half-an-hour was granted,” said Rauniyar.

Today, relief distribution didn’t happen due to the storm.