A sharp sob broke the silence at the mass gravesite. A woman collapsed beside the twin graves of Panakkadan Shajahan and his daughter Faiza as the cleric ended their death anniversary prayers. “Poovi has fainted… It was too much for her,” said an elderly relative as others rushed to help.Nearby lies the scattered grave of Shajahan’s mother Panakkadan Jameela – buried across six different plots after her body was found in fragments. “How can one find closure when she lies scattered like that?” asked Mohammed Koya, kin to the Panakkadan family.One year has passed since a rain-triggered landslide on July 30 turned Chooralmala and Mundakkai into ghost villages in Kerala’s Wayanad. Of the 298 confirmed dead or missing, 57 families were wiped out entirely, leaving no heirs to even claim the Rs 8 lakh ex gratia.Over 56 unidentified bodies and 213 body parts were interred at Puthumala burial ground – now a grim monument to nature’s violence.At the epicentre, 5km away, crushed homes and debris line Punnapuzha’s watery path. A year ago, the river carried down sludge, boulders, bodies, entire plantations over an 8km stretch. Today, wild elephants roam the abandoned gardens.Officials hailed the rehabilitation response as one of Kerala’s largest, but gaps glare. Each affected person is eligible for Rs 2 lakh to rebuild their lives. Execution remained slow. Govt extended monthly support – Rs 6,000 in rent aid and Rs 9,000 in livelihood aid for up to two family members. A township is being built for the 402 most-affected families.But many remain outside the list. “Govt has used a filtering-out method,” said district panchayat president Shamshad Marakkar. “Meppadi panchayat submitted a list of 545. The final list was cut to 402.” Despite Rs 772 crore collected in public contributions, only Rs 100 crore has been spent so far, he said.The ex gratia list revealed oversights. In Chooralmala, Vipin lost the house he had rented out. His name was excluded, while his tenants received compensation.The psychological toll remains immense. A post-disaster needs assessment of 1,231 people found over 35% reported trauma-related symptoms. Survivor Usman Bappu Koikkal suffers panic attacks during heavy rain. “Even a motorcycle ignition makes my heart race,” he said. “I take three tablets a day just to stay stable.”Shopkeepers and small business owners have been left especially vulnerable. Losses run into crores. Govt offered no direct compensation. Vyapari Vyavasayi Ekopana Samithi stepped in with Rs 2.3 crore for 55 shopkeepers.Pookkattil Aboobacker, once among Chooralmala’s wealthiest residents, now lives in a rented house near Muppainad, reliant on charity to support his 11-member family. He owned 11 rental shop units and plantation land, including a 2-acre cardamom plot. All of it now lies buried or abandoned. With dialysis thrice a week and Rs 14 lakh in unpaid loans, Aboobacker said: “Now I depend on others to survive.”The fight is not against rubble – it’s against time, fatigue and fading attention. “The physical wounds have almost healed,” survivor Bappu said. “But mentally, I’m still trapped in that night.” The earth may have settled, but lives are yet to find firm ground.