Cyclone Tauktae fury as trees smash roofs and tanks in Goa

Terrifying days for Goa as cyclonic storm Tauktae rolls past, leaving a trail of devastation across the state

The wind howling through the trees is the omnipresent sound that you hear when you talk to loved ones on the phone in Goa. “That, and maybe, when they tell you yet another tree has crashed,” said Mumbai’s Freddie Vaz who has family based in Nuvem, Fatorda, and Aquem Alto (off Margao).

“Rain has been lashing through but it is the wind that is causing the most damage,” said Vaz, about his family conversations. “My uncle who is 85 plus living in Goa said he has never seen wind like he has these past two days. And believe me, he has seen storms aplenty, in Goa,” said Vaz. 

Family members told Vaz through the weekends at night, especially, the claps of thunder were truly ominous. “It was terrifying for the family. They said there was a pattern, a series of thunderclaps, then a five-minute break, then, again claps of thunder, punctuated by a five-minute break, it went on relentlessly through the night.” As thunder was all around them, the wind took on an eerie sound. “Like howling banshees, my family said they shut all the windows, just to keep that sound out.”

Also Read: Cyclone Tauktae warning extended for 48 hours for Mumbai, Thane

Some neighbouring cottages of the family have felt the full brunt of trees falling on rooftops, they have scythed through certain homes around, Vaz said, “but my family’s home has not suffered that damage. They did however see a roof simply lift off a home and fly through the wind, in an incident which could be fatal had it landed on somebody.” Now, though, like most if not all, Vaz who is Bandra-based said his cousins in Goa are without electricity, “a situation that they are quite used to. They have electric lamps and that is fine in the day. It is the nights that are very trying with no electricity when it gets unbearably hot”.

Kenneth Dias, 35, has brought his parents from their home in Panjim, which has suffered damage from uprooted trees, to his home just a couple of minutes away in Alto, Santa Cruz. Said Dias, “It is not that trees are breaking. They are simply being uprooted, straight up from the ground, so that gives you some idea of the force of the wind.” Dias said his parents’ home “has suffered considerable damage, jackfruit trees, coconut trees [the most resistant] and mango trees have fallen. They have smashed our overhead water tank, so, along with electricity, there is no water”.

Dias claimed that most of Goa’s electricity cables are above the ground. “We should have them underground, this has been going on since years, still we have them above. They snap when the trees fall on them, and the result is no power in the day, no light in the evenings. Officials should have learnt from the past and work should have been done on the cables, earlier,” finished Dias, adding that trees are not being pruned regularly through the years, echoing the frustration of locals.

J Fernandes in Colva claimed, “Several tree falls have blocked crossroads. They will eventually be cleared, but I cannot help thinking this is going to lead to massive delays in case anybody needs medical help, where time is vital during this outbreak.”

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