New Delhi: Nearly 4,500 homes in four districts were damaged by a massive hailstorm that swept through several parts of upper Assam, officials said on Tuesday, reported by news agency PTI. A report from the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) stated that 132 villages in the districts of Dibrugarh, Charaideo, Sivasagar, and Tinsukia suffered damage totaling 4,483 homes. According to a Dibrugarh district administration official, the severe hailstorm hit upper Assam late on Monday and early on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma reacted and said, "have instructed officials to make a detailed assessment of the damages caused. Government is extending all possible help to all those affected by it."
Almost 18,000 individuals have been impacted, and the families hit by the hailstorm were provided with canvas sheets, ASDMA's report said.
According to the ASDMA report, two structures were completely destroyed and 4,481 houses were damaged in part. According to the report, 3,009 houses were damaged in Charaideo, followed by 1,232 in Dibrugarh, 220 in Sivasagar, and 22 in Tinsukia.
According to officials, the hailstorm, which is uncommon in this part of the state during the winter, has also caused damage to several schools and crops in large areas of agricultural land.
In the meantime, the Guwahati Regional Meteorological Centre issued a "Yellow Alert" for the entire northeast, predicting isolated thunderstorms, lightning, and hail across the seven states.
In a bulletin, the RMC stated that isolated locations in the upper reaches of Arunachal Pradesh could also experience light snow within the next 24 hours.
It stated, "Light to moderate rain is very likely at a few places over the rest of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram and Tripura."
However, the bulletin noted that nighttime temperatures in Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, and Tripura did not significantly change in the last 24 hours.
(With PTI Inputs)