KANCHANPUR: “We were preparing dinner when a sudden windstorm blew away the roof of our house. The rain that followed soaked our food grains, clothes and other belongings. We were busy trying to save our lives and had no time to rescue our possessions,” said Mahesh Joshi of Shuklaphanta Municipality-9, recalling the devastation caused by the storm that struck on Wednesday night.
“Now we are forced to live under the open sky. The windstorm has left us in misery,” he added.
The powerful windstorm affected around 80 families in Ward No. 9 of Shuklaphanta Municipality. According to local authorities, 60 houses and 20 sheds sustained damage, disrupting the shelter, food security and daily lives of dozens of households.
Ward Chairperson Ramesh Bahadur Air said the roofs of most affected houses and sheds were blown away. Subsequent rainfall damaged food grains and household belongings stored inside the homes.
“Many families are facing serious difficulties,” Air said. “Some have taken shelter with relatives, while others are staying in temporary arrangements under open skies.”
The storm also caused extensive damage to electrical infrastructure. Eighteen electricity poles either collapsed or were damaged in various parts of the ward. Power supply has remained disrupted across the area for the past two days after a pole carrying a 200-kVA transformer was brought down.
“The damage is not limited to houses and sheds. The electrical infrastructure has also suffered significant losses,” said Air. “Five CCTV cameras installed across the ward have been damaged, and around one-and-a-half kilometres of CCTV wiring has been destroyed.”
According to him, several houses and school buildings were also damaged after trees uprooted by the storm fell onto structures.
A technical team from the Nepal Electricity Authority has been deployed to restore power supply. Work is underway to remove damaged poles, install new ones and repair transmission lines.
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