Kodagu, Karnataka, September 19th: Though the flood waters that ravaged Kodagu in Karnataka have receded, the ravages caused was Clearly visible, with massive landslides,, collapsed houses and uprooted trees. Archbishop Peter Machado along with a core-team that planned, monitored and coordinated relief work visited Kodagu on 18th and 19th September and interacted with the victims of nature’s fury. The Archbishop heard the dismal cry of a lady who lost all her 12 acres of land and her house.
Under the aegis of the Archdiocese, money and material was earlier reached to the flood-ravaged areas.
The team visited Hattihole where most of the damages happened. About 35 Catholic families were displaced, most of them have lost their houses and it was here that one, Francis Montero sacrificed his life while saving others. The team met the wife of Francis and consoled her.
Nirmala Vidya Nikethan English medium school, Hattihole, with 500 students were shifted to Suntikoppa. The team visited Suntikoppa and interacted with the students from Hattihole school. The children were still going through trauma of post-floods.
The Archbishop was accompanied by Fr Joseph Naveen Kumar (Director- Bangalore Multi-purpose Social Service Society) among others.