Cyclone Michaung: 29 NDRF teams deployed in parts of southern India for relief, rescue operations

 Cyclone Michaung 29 NDRF teams deployed in parts of southern India for relief rescue operations 

PTI, New Delhi, Dec 5, 2023 :  A total of 29 NDRF teams have been deployed in Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Telangana and Puducherry to undertake relief and rescue operations in the wake of the severe cyclonic storm Michaung hurtling down India's eastern coast on Tuesday, a senior officer said.

    

Fourteen National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams have been deployed in Tamil Nadu (five in Chennai), 11 in Andhra Pradesh, one in Telangana and three in Puducherry.

    

"Our focus is on Andhra Pradesh as the cyclone will make landfall there and a number of trees, poles and other infrastructure could be uprooted, leading to blockage of communication and power lines," the officer said.

    

The NDRF is also prepared to launch rescue and relief operations for the affected people who could be stranded, he said.

    

The teams, armed with wood and pole cutters along with inflatable boats, are already undertaking route-clearing operations in various parts of Tamil Nadu, where the cyclone wreaked havoc on Tuesday morning, the officer said.

    

Some additional teams have been kept on standby and they will be moved into the affected areas as and when the requisition is made by the state governments, another NDRF officer said.

    

A dozen people lost their lives in various rain-related incidents in and around Chennai on Tuesday while rescue personnel on fishing boats and farm tractors were engaged in helping those stranded people on Tuesday. 

    

The name Michaung (pronounced as migjaum) for the cyclonic storm was suggested by Myanmar and it means strength or resilience.

The city and adjoining districts faced relentless rains on Monday as the severe cyclonic storm Michaung loomed over the north coastal areas of Tamil Nadu. 

Eleven others, who sustained injuries in rain- related incidents, were receiving treatment in various hospitals, officials said. 

Several District Disaster Response Teams (DDRT) were formed to carry out relief work in all rain-affected areas across the city. In Muthialpet locality in the city's outskirts, 54 families were rescued, and a woman who had just given birth was relocated to a safer place from Saligramam in the city. More than 250 people from low-lying areas found refuge at a school camp in Kotturpuram. 

Additionally, 22 passengers stranded after their local bus got stuck in rainwater, were transferred to a relief camp set up at the Middle School in Pallavaram. Since Tuesday morning, most parts of Chennai experienced a respite from rains, allowing officials to focus on rescue and relief operations in affected areas. 

During a press conference at the Chennai Corporation headquarters on Tuesday morning, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin stated that relief measures were being undertaken on a war footing. Stalin mentioned that across the nine affected districts, including Chennai, a total of 61,666 relief camps were established. 

Approximately 11 lakh food packets and one lakh milk packets have been distributed so far, he said. Residents in areas like suburban Tambaram, Ashok Nagar, Kattupakkam, and Perungudi complained about the lack of power restoration despite the rain ceasing for several hours. MukeshChordia, a resident of Ashok Nagar, mentioned that although water had receded from the main roads in the area, power supply had not been restored. 

The DMK-led Tamil Nadu government on Tuesday demanded an immediate central assistance of Rs 5,000 crore to provide relief to the people and rebuild infrastructure in Chennai and nearby districts hit by incessant rains caused by cyclone Michaung. 

The demand was made by DravidaMunnetraKazhagam (DMK) MP and Parliamentary party leader T R Baalu in LokSabha and Tiruchi Siva in RajyaSabha. 

Party MP Kanimozhi drew attention to the issue at a press conference in the national capital, saying the DMK-ruled state is facing an unprecedented situation. 

"In two days, we had 33 cm of rainfall. We faced such bad rains for the first time in the last 47 years. This was worse than the rains we faced in 2015," Kanimozhi told reporters.