KOCHI: A businessman visiting Aluva out of curiosity after hearing the news the state was witnessing the worst flood in a century became part of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) team, guiding them to each location for six days. Such was his dedication he had to depend on relatives to shift his family to safety from his flooded house. His medical shop at Aluva had been submerged and the whole stock was destroyed, but Satheesh continued his service, helping the NDRF men in the hour of crisis.
T V Satheesh, a seafood exporter and pharmaceutical distributor, visited Aluva Palace out of curiosity on August 15 to witness the rescue operation. When he arrived, the 42-member NDRF team was desperately trying to get some food as all the hotels were closed. Satheesh promised to help and brought food from a hotel on the highway. From that moment, the team members, including Deputy Commandant G Vijayan, became his friends.
“Apart from providing accommodation at Aluva Palace, the district administration did not offer any support,” Satheesh told Express. “There were hundreds of calls from panicked denizens stranded in flooded houses and the team was struggling to attend the calls as they were not familiar with the area. I volunteered to take them to the location,” he added.
While he was busy helping the NDRF, Satheesh’s house at Kalamassery got submerged and he had to contact his relatives to shift his family. He had to travel up to 20 km sometimes to arrange food for the team.