Thiruvananthapuram: India Meteorological Department IMD has issued red alerts for 4 districts in Kerala following heavy rains in the state, especially the northern districts. Kozhikode, Wayanad, Kannur and Kasaragod districts were given red alerts on Wednesday.
IMD has also issued Orange alerts in 7 districts including Thrissur, Palakkad and Malappuram along with the 4 districts mentioned above, while yellow alert was sounded in Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Pathanamthitta, Kottayam, Alappuzha, Ernakulam and Idukki districts.
A red alert indicated extremely heavy rainfalls of over 20 cm in 24 hours, orange alert means very heavy rains from 6 cm to 20 cm and a yellow alert means heavy rainfall between 6 to 11 cm.
According to the Times of India, The State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA) has advised people to stay away from water bodies like rives etc. until rain subsides. They also cautioned people against traveling to hilly areas.
Five teams from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) have already been deployed to the state.