TIRUNELVELI
The district administration has geared up for the northeast monsoon season by training 400 volunteers to assist the fire and rescue services personnel and government officials involved in relief and rescue operations during the hostile conditions arising out of heavy downpour and consequent flooding.
Since the torrential and continuous rains, especially in the catchment areas of the reservoirs, would trigger heavy floods in the Tamirabharani, the residential areas close to the river would get marooned at least for a few days every year. The affected families would be shifted to the nearby relief centres with the help of fire and rescue services personnel and the volunteers. So, the district administration has started training, in three phases, volunteers to be involved in this exercise by the fire and rescue services personnel.
Inaugurating the first phase disaster management training for 150 volunteers drawn from various colleges at Government College of Engineering, Collector V. Vishnu said the volunteers would be trained in swimming, rescuing the public from marooned areas, evacuating the public stranded in tall buildings isolated by flood, first-aid and catching snakes that would be washed along with the floodwater entering residential areas.
“A team of fire and rescue services personnel, doctors and teachers will train the volunteers, who will be deployed along with other rescuers drawn from different government departments,” he said.
District Revenue Officer S. Jayashree, Tahsildar (Disaster Mangement) Selvan and others were present.
