Hydro-Met services department recorded wind speed at 20.5km an hour after 1pm
Families of about five households in Naja gewog in Paro had to take shelter in their neighbour’s house last night after a windstorm completely blew off the roofs of their houses.
According to the gewog mangmi, Chundu Tshering, the windstorm yesterday afternoon damaged roofs of 18 houses in the gewog. “The most affected village is Wanakha.”
The mangmi said he is not sure how many roofs were blown off completely and how many were partially damaged. “The gup and gewog administrative officer verified the damages yesterday.”
Gup, Kinley Wangdi, said that roofs of five houses are completely blown off, while others were partially torn off.
He said the gewog office submitted the incident report to the dzongkhag and Royal Insurance Corporation of Bhutan (RICB) office in Paro. “The officials said they would come for site verification today.”
The CGI sheets blown off from the houses also damaged two vehicles in Wanakha, according to the gup.
Paro dzongkhag’s disaster focal person, Naphey, said that Naja gup informed him about the incident through social media. “Dogar gup also informed that windstorm affected houses and two choetens in the gewog.”
The Department of Disaster Management’s (DDM) director general, Karma Tshering, said they did not receive any windstorm report as of yesterday afternoon.
He, however, said that they would respond once the dzongkhag administration informs them. “The dzongkhag officials will inform us if it is beyond their level. Otherwise, they will respond to it and send us the report.”
The disaster toll-free emergency contact number 233 was also not in service yesterday.
Meanwhile, officials from the Department of Hydro Met Services said the wind speed was 20.5km an hour since 1pm yesterday. The routine wind speed is 5km an hour.
The chief of weather and climate services division, Singay Dorji, said the gust is a seasonal wind and that they issued an advisory caution after observing some disturbance.
Northern and western parts of the country are expected to experience similar wind gust today.
Tashi Dema