CHENNAI: On the morning of December 4, the day when cyclone Michaung hit Chennai the worst, an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) of 108 ambulance, A Elavarasan, received a call to immediately shift an octogenarian who suffered seizures from his Gopalapuram house to a hospital. Notwithstanding the heavy downpour, he and the pilot rushed to the spot. While wading through hip-level water with the patient, Elavarasan’s leg was caught in a pit and while trying to pull it out, he suffered a toe fracture.
This is one among the many stories of EMTs and pilots who shifted hundreds of people during the cyclone, risking their lives. Elavarasan, who is set to tie the knot this weekend, told TNIE that he didn’t even get time to check what happened to his leg till he removed shoes the next day. His leg was fully swollen and there was a fracture but Elavarasan continued his duty.
M Boopalan, another EMT, calls the cyclone an unforgettable experience as the three rescue operations he had carried out then were the toughest in his career. This includes saving a 75-year-old woman from Shastri Nagar in Adyar who suffered a head injury after slipping in the bathroom. “The ground floor of her house was flooded. While on the move, we shared instructions to her attendees over the phone to control bleeding. We had to walk for a kilometre in four feet water before transporting her on a spine board.
S Mohan, an EMT, said shifting pregnant women was the most challenging part. “We transported a woman from Balakrishna Street in Velachery, whose expected date of delivery was four days away. There was hip-level water and the family was on the terrace. We made her sit in a chair and carried her carefully to a boat,” he recollected.
He also carried out rescue operations at VGP Street in Velachery, where water touched his neck. “It was scary and challenging but we didn’t give up,” said Mohan with pride.