T'puram: As monsoon arrived early and caused widespread damage across Kerala, govt stepped up its preparedness, focusing on monsoon safety, disaster response and getting ready for school reopening on June 2.

On Thursday, chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan warned that rising river and stream water levels from heavy rain made it unsafe to bathe in them. At present, 1,296 people are housed in 59 relief camps across state. Authorities have identified areas prone to landslides and flooding—especially riverbanks, low-lying zones and ESAs—and advised residents to move to safer places or relief camps. Emergency operations centres are functioning 24 hours at district and taluk levels. Alongside traditional warning systems, alerts are being issued through sirens and hooters under state disaster management authority's ‘Kavacham' early warning network. Civil defence, Aapda Mitra volunteers and other emergency personnel are on standby and panchayat-level emergency response teams have been activated, he said.Nine NDRF teams are being deployed as part of monsoon action plan and they are positioned in Idukki, Malappuram, Kasaragod and Thrissur.

By June 1 additional teams will be deployed at Alappuzha, Pathanamthitta, Ernakulam, Kozhikode and Wayanad. These teams will remain in their districts throughout monsoon, he added.The CM urged the public to stay alert, especially at night when uprooted trees or damaged power lines may lie across roads or waterlogged areas. Those stepping out early for newspaper delivery, rubber tapping or other essential duties should take extreme caution.

Suspicious or damaged power lines should be reported immediately to KSEB office or by calling 9496010101, he said.Residents associations and local communities can share rain updates via WhatsApp groups. Households and institutions must do necessary cleaning and drainage work to avoid health and safety issues, he added. The CM warned of intense rain, possible cloudbursts and flash floods. Heavy winds and soil saturation may trigger landslides and urban waterlogging. People living in homes with weak structures or unstable roofs are advised to stay vigilant and relocate if necessary, he added.