Cuttack: As major rivers across Odisha continue to be in spate and floods affected over four lakh people in low-lying areas, teams of Odisha Fire Service are working relentlessly day and night to rescue people from the flood hit areas of the state. In order to meet the prevailing flood situation, 14 rescue teams with power boats have been deployed in Jajpur district to carry out rescue and relief operation effectively. Besides, 12 teams each with power boats have been deployed in Kendrapara and Bhadrak district for rescue and relief operations in the flood affected area. Teams with Power Boats mobilised from unaffected districts of Southern Range, Berhampur and Northern Range, Sambalpur have been deployed in Puri and Jagatsinghpur districts and remain under the control of the Collectors to undertake rescue and relief operation as and when necessary.
Now, in to-to, 88 teams have been deployed with power boats and rescue gears in the flood affected districts for rescue and relief operations. Besides, additional 18 teams are kept standby at the Odisha Fire and Disaster Response Institute, Naraj, Cuttack for immediate deployment if required.
One team of Dhamnagar FS has rescued one person named Pratap Barik aged about 46 years, S/o Rakshyakara Barik of Dudurapatna of Sundarpur GP from top of a tree inside the flood area at late night i.e. about 11.30 PM near Khothari Ghat. This team has also rescued a pregnant lady from the marooned village of Gunthani under Bayagidihi GP using Power boat and shifted to hospital safely. A team of Tihidi FS under Bhadrak District have shifted another pregnant lady from the marooned village Orali under Bodak GP through the power boat. A team of Athmallick Fire Station have rescued 30 persons from the marooned Village of Kudagaon and shifted to Multi Purpose Flood Shelter.
In a daring night operation, despite poor visibility and strong currents,Rasulpur Fire Station team rescued a boy who had been swept away by floods and had taken shelter on a palm tree.Kudos to the brave firemen! We serve to save. #Odishaflood2020@CMO_Odisha@homeodisha pic.twitter.com/KVsfoPKTV5
— OdishaFireServicesHGsCD (@OdishaFS_HGs_CD) August 29, 2020
A team of Rasulpur Fire Station also rescued one person named Chandan Behera aged about 18 years crossing the Brahmani river who was swept away in river current and took shelter in top of a tree at 9 PM in poor visibility with high current of water in the river.
Cuttack Fire Station team has rescued nine persons including five children form a isle of Kacharamal. A team of Bari Fire Station has rescued one pregnant lady along with her husband and daughter who were stranded on the terrace of their house. Besides, another team of Bari Fire Station has also rescued a pregnant lady along with an old women and one girl from Masjid sahi and shifted to shelter house using power boat.
DG of Police, Fire Service, Home Guards & Civil Defence, Dr. Satyajit Mohanty, chaired a review meeting of the flood situation and probable floods in Mahanadi river system along with senior officers and ordered for mobilization of necessary manpower and logistics as quickly as possible. He has also directed to keep some teams at OFDRI, Naraj for their immediate deployment in the flood hit areas. The State Fire Control Room is functioning 24 x 7 monitoring the relief and rescue operations in all flood affected areas of the State.