20,000 banana trees damaged in gale in Bhavani

Hundreds of banana trees, which were ready for harvest, were damaged after strong winds accompanied by heavy rain lashed Bhavani and surrounding areas on Tuesday night. The damage has caused concern among farmers, while prolonged power cuts left several villages without electricity through the night.
The heavy rain and gusty winds uprooted trees and snapped branches at several places, damaging power poles and disrupting power supply. Bhavani town, Kalingarayanpalayam, Elavamalai, Vairamangalam, Jambai, Urachikottai, Moon Road and surrounding villages were plunged into darkness.
Power supply from the Urachikottai substation was completely disrupted following a fault. Electricity was restored in some areas only after 3 a.m. on Wednesday.
The strong winds caused extensive damage to banana plantations in Vairamangalam, Jambai, Chinniyampalayam, Pothanaickanur, Erappanaickanpalayam, Mayilampadi and neighbouring areas.
According to the Revenue Department’s preliminary assessment, 19,800 banana trees cultivated by 17 farmers across 9.77 hectares were damaged. The affected plantations were mostly at the harvest stage.
Farmers said the total crop loss was estimated at more than ₹20 lakh and urged the district administration to expedite assessment and provide appropriate compensation.
Officials are expected to conduct further verification of the damage and submit details for relief measures, farmers said.