BENGALURU: With the flood situation in the state worsening, the state has launched the biggest-ever rescue operation to save people stranded in flood-hit areas. About 6,000 Army, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) personnel are involved in the rescue operation, apart from state government officials and volunteers.
For the first time, the state is grappling with a calamity of this scale as districts in north, south, central and coastal Karnataka are hit by floods. People are being evacuated in helicopters and boats as road connectivity is cut off at several places. The toll reached 25 on Friday. The state government released Rs 100 crore for rescue and other operations.
In 2018, when floods ravaged Kodagu and a other few places, hundreds of personnel from the NDRF, Army and SDRF took part in the rescue operation. But this time, with the number of districts affected simultaneously, rescue teams are out in full force. According to official sources from Disaster Management, 18 districts have been affected, of which 13 districts are severely affected.
A joint rescue team comprising Fire and Emergency, SDRF, NDRF and Army evacuated 2,07,212 people as on Friday. According to data provided by Disaster Management, there are 19 teams of NDRF, 11 columns of Army, two SDRF, three teams of Indian Coast Guard, four helicopters and many more. This apart, they are seeking five NDRF and four Army columns too. “In addition to this, there are thousands of local police, fire and emergency department officials, other department officials, volunteers, NGOs and many more personnel involved. Probably for the first time, such a large number of people are involved in the rescue operation,’’ a senior official who is part of the rescue team told The New Indian Express.
The rescue team also took help of four helicopters, and is expected to opt for more. In all, 60 boats were used in the operation. This is also the first time that boats and helicopters were used.