Odisha Government sends 240 member fire services team, offers help in rescue efforts in flood ravaged Kerala
A 240 member team of Odisha Fire Services personnel was sent along with state-of-the-art equipment by the Odisha government to carry out rescue operations in flood ravaged Kerala. The team, which was carrying 75 powerboats, underwater equipment, BA sets, power saws and other modern rescue equipment, was airlifted by a special aircraft of the Indian Air Force from Biju Patnaik International Airport, Odisha.
Chief Minister, Shri Naveen Patnaik’s office tweeted, “Expressing concern over #KeralaFloods, CM @Naveen_Odisha pressed in to assisting rescue ops an Odisha contigent of 245 fire personnel, led by the Chief Fire Officer. Trained and experienced in flood rescue, the team is carrying 75 boats & necessities like BA sets.”
Following a request from the Centre, the state government decided to send a team to assist with the escalating Kerala flood situation, said Mr. Bijay Kumar Sharma, Director General, Fire Services, Home Guard and Civil Defence in Odisha. Mr. Sharma described it as a “matter of pride” for Odisha. Incidentally, this is not the first time that Odisha has shown solidarity and support for a fellow state during a difficult situation. According to Mr. Sharma, Odisha fire personnel had done a tremendous job during the Cyclone Hudhud in Andhra Pradesh, for which it had attained considerable praise.
Maybe it is experience from it’s own efforts against the natural disasters and calamities that have plagued the state of Odisha in the past, Odisha is truly prepared every moment to speedily tackle any natural disaster that might hit the state or any part of the country. The Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF) and its successes in local rescue operations is a prime example of this. The Naveen Patnaik led BJD government in the state has over the years ensured that its citizens’ needs are prioritised and help and rescue operations reach affected people at the earliest.
The Odisha Government had also earlier announced a financial assistance of Rs. 5 crore for the state of Kerala, and set up a 24 hour helpline- 1070 (Toll Free) and 0674–2534177 at the office of the Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) to coordinate help for people in difficulty. CM Naveen Patnaik had also spoken to his Kerala counterpart, Pinarayi Vijayan and offered any kind of support that could be provided in these strenuous times.
As of Sunday, 19th August, the Odisha Fire Services personnel have been deployed in the Alappuzha and Kottayam districts to assist rescue operations in Kerala.
