VIJAYAWADA: As the flood waters in Vijayawada reached a critical level, dozens of residents, including elderly people and young children, were left stranded for nearly 24 hours as water levels surged to nearly 10 feet in Ambapuram.
The floodwaters inundated Paipula Road, submerging homes and cutting off essential services. One survivor, a Sub Editor at The New Indian Express, described the ordeal, “Despite numerous attempts to reach emergency numbers provided by news organisations, most calls went unanswered or failed to connect. After hours of relentless effort, contact was finally established with rescue teams, who arrived hours later with only a single boat.”
The boat managed to evacuate around 20 to 25 people, including elderly individuals aged between 70 and 80 years, and infants as young as three to four months. However, the relief was short-lived. The boat left the evacuees at a street end, which was also flooded with nearly four feet of water. “The rescue team didn’t inform us about where they were taking us. We were dropped in the middle of nowhere, with hip-deep water all around. It was completely dark, with no electricity, no street lights, and no moonlight to guide us. I could barely see anything, my phone’s torchlight only illuminated the next three metres ahead,” the sub-editor added.
In a desperate attempt to find shelter, the group took refuge in a five-storey under-construction building. Over 45 people, including those from nearby streets, crammed into the building, enduring a night without food, water, or basic facilities. As the situation grew increasingly dire, some individuals ventured into the floodwaters in search of further rescue, but help remained elusive.
He recounted a distressing encounter with a police inspector, who directed him to move further ahead, promising rescue boats ahead. After walking 2 kms, the only sight was more stranded people, standing on shop steps, desperate for aid. Eventually, the water current became so strong that the TNIE staffer had to cling to a pole to avoid being swept away.
“The ordeal worsened as the night progressed. A State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) team arrived in a boat but ignored the pleas of stranded residents, instead rescuing only police officials trapped in the same area. The remaining citizens, including several women desperately asking for help, were left behind, despite their desperate calls for assistance,” he added. By morning, the situation had not improved. Although rescue boats returned, they refused to take any of the stranded residents on board, merely throwing a few milk packets and water bottles from a distance. He, with phone battery running low and no cash on hand, decided to attempt a dangerous walk through the floodwaters.
He reached the Ajit Singh Nagar flyover, where he witnessed the SDRF teams idly inflating boats, ignoring the needs of the people. The scene was compounded by the sight of food and water supplies, intended for flood victims, lying wasted on the pathways of the bridge.