Efforts to rescue flood-hit people from areas around Ernakulam, Thrissur and Pathanamthitta gathered momentum with the forces getting reinforcements on Saturday.
The Navy could rescue 3,375 people using boats while its airborne rescue teams saved 154 people, till 430 p.m. on Saturday. The Coast Guard had evacuated 2,611 people till 7 p.m. on Saturday.
Operation Madad
The NDRF, which made its highest ever daily deployment in a single State since its raising in Kerala on Saturday, said it had rescued 194 people till 3 p.m.
Operation Madad by the Navy was scaled up on Saturday with more Gemini boats and divers joining from the Eastern and the Western naval commands. There were 72 teams in operation in all. Ernakulam region had 42 teams with a Gemini boat each at various places in Ernakulam.
In Thrissur district, deployment at Chalakudy, one of the worst-hit by the Periyar floods, was augmented with 10 teams. Ten teams were at Chengannur in Pathanamthitta, while there was a team each at Ayroor and Pullad.
The deployment in Wayanad scaled down as the situation had improved there. Just two naval teams with Gemini boats were present at Porunnannur.
All air assets available at INS Garuda have been utilised for winching up stranded personnel, transfer of stores, boats and relief material. Aircraft such as ALH, Sea King, Chetak and Mi-17 of the Air Force brought 154 people to safety. In all, one lakh food packets and water bottles were airdropped.
Relief at Naval Base
The T2 hangar at the Naval Base, which had been turned into an interim relief camp since Friday, was used to provide shelter to about 350 people. Another relief camp set up by the Naval Armament Depot, Aluva, accommodated 170 persons. The Naval Kindergarten (NKG) School was also converted into a relief camp to accommodate 250 persons.
A community kitchen set up by INS Venduruthy on the campus of the Cochin University of Science and Technology (CUSAT) catered for 7,000 people. A total of 17 cooks, 4 officers and 13 staff were relentlessly working to serve them food. The demand for food also included that for 2,000 persons at UC College, Aluva.
The State government authorities contributed to this kitchen, providing condiments and other items.
Coast Guard efforts
The Coast Guard had deployed 31 rescue and relief teams. It hired four fishing boats for rescue efforts at Paravur and Varapuzha, airlifted 19 people, and guided 6,415 people to safety on Saturday.
The NDRF, which till Saturday had evacuated a total of 10,400 flood-hit people, had 55 teams in operation — 15 teams in Thrissur, 13 in Pathanamthitta, 11 in Alappuzha, five in Ernakulum, four in Idukki, three in Malappuram and two each in Wayanad and Kozhikode. On Saturday, two more teams were airlifted from Pune airport while another team was waiting to be airlifted. Each NDRF team had either a doctor or a paramedic.
