A “THANKS” note painted on a house from where two women were rescued by the Navy, on August 17. (Photo: Indian Navy spokesperson/Twitter)The Southern Naval command has called off its 14-day-long rescue operations in the flood-ravaged Kerala, saying there were no more requests for evacuation as water has started receding in affected areas. The Indian Navy has rescued a total of 16,005 people during “Operation Madad”, which launched on August 9 for assisting the state administration in relief operations. “The Southern Naval Command recalled all rescue teams deployed for Operation Madad as flood waters receded and no more requests for rescue were received,” the defence ministry said in a statement. According to Kerala disaster management’s control room, 231 people have lost their lives and 32 are missing in flood-related incidents since August 8. Nearly 14.50 lakh people belonging to 3.91 lakh families are still lodged in 3,879 relief camps across the state. https://twitter.com/indiannavy/status/1031395674330411008 Besides the Navy, the Army, the Air Force and the Coast Guard were also involved in the rescue-and-relief operations along with the civil administration. Army’s Southern Command chief, Lt Gen DR Soni, had on Monday said its personnel would continue to be engaged in the rescue operations in Kerala till the situation stabilizes. The defence forces were involved in several daring rescue acts such as the airlifting of a pregnant woman, winching up of a two-year-old which won them widespread appreciation. The Navy said that in addition to the rescue of the marooned, ten air sorties amounting to 15 hours of flying were undertaken by various naval aircraft, mainly for airdropping of relief supplies, especially food and medicines. Relief materials including fresh water, provisions, ready-to-eat meals and medicines, which arrived onboard two ships of the Western Naval Command, were distributed in various localities in coordination with the civil administration. The naval air station in Kochi, INS Garuda, continued facilitating civil aircraft operations, in addition to the military’s flying requirements, the release said. The naval airport was being used because of the closure of the international airport at nearby Nedumbassery in the wake of floods. Alliance Air, a subsidiary of Air India, and Indigo operated ATR-72 aircraft during the day. The air station was also extensively used to airlift medical teams, food and medicines as required by the state government so that the relief supplies could quickly reach the needy people, the release said.
