VISAKHAPATNAM: As the severe cyclonic storm Titli, formed over West Central Bay of Bengal, is poised to make landfall over the east coast between Kalingapatnam and Gopalpur in the early hours of Thursday, the Eastern Naval Command is in high degree of readiness to render necessary humanitarian assistance. Indian Naval ships are placed on standby to proceed to the most affected areas to undertake humanitarian assistance and distress relief (HADR), evacuation, logistic support, including providing medical aid.
Additional divers, doctors, inflatable rubber boats and relief material that includes food, tentage, clothes, medicines and blankets have been kept standby for embarkation. Diving teams with inflatable Gemini boats and associated diving equipment from Visakhapatnam have been pre-positioned at INS Chilka to augment their resources for immediate deployment for relief and rescue operations.
The ENC is monitoring the developments closely and is in constant communication with the state administration to augment the rescue and relief operations. Aircraft are standing by at the Naval Air Station INS Dega to undertake reconnaissance, rescue, casualty evacuation and air drop of relief material to the stranded as required.
