WAYANAD: Deepa Joseph, Kerala's first female ambulance driver, has become a symbol of resilience and dedication in the wake of the devastating landslides that struck Wayanad district. Despite her tragedy, Deepa put her grief aside to serve the victims of the disaster.
After the landslides, Deepa's ambulance became a familiar sight on the roads of Wayanad, ferrying both the injured and the deceased from the disaster zone. Deepa, who had recently taken a break from driving due to depression following the death of her daughter from blood cancer, returned to duty after learning about the urgent need for ambulances equipped with freezer boxes in the area.
Recalling the harrowing scenes she witnessed in the temporary morgue at Meppadi, Deepa could not hold back her tears. "For one or two days, we saw people who were not ready to believe that their beloved was dead. But in the days that followed, the same people came to the morgue, praying that the bodies recovered should be those of their dear ones," she said.
The scenes were heartbreaking, as bodies were crushed beyond recognition and severed limbs were the only means of identification. Deepa, who has been an ambulance driver for over four-and-a-half years, admitted that the experience was overwhelming. "I have taken bodies that are several days old and highly decomposed. But in Wayanad, the relatives had to identify the bodies just by looking at a severed finger or a severed limb. It was more than what I could take," she shared.
Despite her previous experience, Deepa found the situation in Wayanad particularly challenging. "The whole morgue was filled with the stench of decayed bodies. The gases emanating from the bodies blurred our vision," she recounted, explaining how she had initially planned to return home the next day, not fully realizing the magnitude of the disaster.
However, driven by a sense of duty, Deepa continued to help for the next five days, even bringing her son, who was alone at home, to Wayanad to stay with her. "Now the ambulances from other districts have gone back, and I would also go back shortly," she said.
Deepa has become a well-known figure among the volunteers in the disaster-hit areas, with local women who lost everything in the landslides sharing their horror stories with her. Despite their own grief, these women have found time to console Deepa when she becomes emotional thinking about her daughter.
Looking to the future, Deepa is eager to return to work. "I am jobless now and want to get back to driving ambulances sooner," she said, highlighting her determination to continue serving others despite her own loss.