Forces begin field work; to train people how to save themselves in case of sudden disaster

Madikeri:  To instil confidence among people of Kodagu that the Central and State Governments will be with them in case of a repeat natural disaster this year and as a precautionary step even before the arrival of monsoon, a team of National Disaster Relief Force (NDRF) has already arrived in Kodagu.

The 25-member NDRF team from B/10NDRF Vijayawada in Andhra Pradesh is camping at Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya at Galibeedu in Madikeri. Along with NDRF, teams from State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), Army’s Dogra Regiment and Civil Defence are expected to reach Kodagu soon.

As of now, two NDRF teams have been deployed in Karnataka. While one team is already in Kodagu, the other team is stationed at New Mangalore Port in Mangaluru. In case of emergency like last year, the NDRF Mangaluru team can reach Kodagu in short notice.

The NDRF team is led by Commander Veluru Ramesh and also includes members from Bengaluru and Dharwad. Ramesh said that the Kodagu District Administration had requested the team to camp in Kodagu for at least three months as a precautionary measure. Their stay will be extended depending on the scale of the disaster.

Last year in August, the NDRF and SDRF teams did enormous relief and rescue operation though it took time for their deployment as the catastrophe was sudden and was in an unprecedented scale. Before the arrival of Central Forces, the District Police and the Fire Service Department had carried out rescue operations and they could do only small-scale rescue works as they are not well-equipped. Not taking any chances, this year, the NDRF team has been stationed even before the onset of Southwest monsoon.

On May 29, the NDRF team will visit flood and landslide-prone areas including Makkandur, Hebbatageri, Madapura, Hattihole, Kaloor, Jodupala, Monnangeri, Mangaladevinagar, Thantipaala and other areas and will train people to save themselves and their livestock in case of a disaster.

The team will start field work during monsoon on priority basis and according to Commander Veluru Ramesh, more teams will be deployed in Kodagu based on the intensity of floods and landslides.

“Before a natural disaster strikes, Nature will give signals of it that can be captured through scientific methods. People must be moved to safe areas and the loss of life can be minimised or eliminated,” Ramesh said.

Another member of the team, Doddabasappa, who hails from Dharwad, said, during the heavy landslides on Makutta Road connecting Kerala State, the team had cleared the fallen trees and rubble. He said his team had participated in the rescue operation during the Fani cyclone in Odisha. Joint mock rescue operations will be conducted alongside the local Departments as per the direction given by Kodagu Administration, he said.

Such disaster management teams are formed by picking people from the nation’s Paramilitary Forces and are trained to rescue people and livestock during natural calamities. Apart from ensuring the nation’s security, such teams also protect people from unforeseen circumstances, he added.