Bhubaneswar: After a commendable job by fire service personnel in rescue operations, the Odisha government has sent a group of 25 skilled ITI training Officers, ATOs and students to Ernakulam for repair and restoration work in the flood-ravaged state Kerala.
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik tweeted, “Happy to share that #Odisha sent a contingent of 25 highly skilled ITI Training Officers, ATOs & students, under aegis of @SDTE_Odisha, to #Ernakulam for repair & restoration. Best wishes for #SkilledInOdisha to bring positive change in lives of people affected in #KeralaFloods.”
A week ago, a 245-member team, comprising 225 Fire Services personnel, 15 supervisors and three officers, of Odisha Fire Disaster and Rescue Service flew to Kerala in a special flight IL-76, carrying state-of-the-art equipment and 75 power boats, underwater equipment, 10 tower lights, power saws, solar search lights, three tents, 137 life bodies, 31 lifelines, 30 sleeping mats, two aggronites, six tent covers and two compressors.
A special train was also sent to Ernakulam from Bhubaneswar via Visakhapatnam for evacuating those stranded.
Kerala has witnessed the worst flood in a century, which has claimed 400 lives and swept away vast tracts of land.
Over 2,11,000 people have been affected and more than 32,500 hectares of crops damaged, according to the Home Ministry’s National Emergency Response Centre.
