Cyclone Tauktae: Navy deploys rescue teams in Kerala, IAF puts assets on standby

The Navy on Saturday deployed aid teams from Southern Naval Command which undertook rescue operations in Cyclone Tauktae affected space of Chellanam coast in Kerala. The Indian Air Force (IAF) has stored 16 transport plane and 18 helicopters on operational readiness in peninsular India in preparation for Cyclone Tauktae which is anticipated to trigger very heavy to extraordinarily heavy rainfall alongside the western coast in the following few days.

“Towards providing assistance to flood hit villages of Malaghapadi, Kampanipadi and Maruvakad in Chellanam, three Naval diving teams and one Quick Reaction Team from Southern Naval Command swung into action,” the Navy mentioned in an announcement.

The teams undertook rescue of personnel, provisioning of meals and water and shifting of individuals trapped in homes to aid camp at St Mary’s High School Chellanam in the tough climate circumstances, it added. The Navy has additionally put ships, plane and helicopters on standby in coordination with district administration, a Navy official mentioned.

“One IL-76 aircraft has airlifted 127 personnel and 11 tonnes of cargo from Bhatinda to Jamnagar. A C-130 aircraft has airlifted 25 personnel and 12.3 tonnes cargo from Bhatinda to Rajkot. Two C-130 aircraft have airlifted 126 personnel and 14 tonnes cargo from Bhubaneswar to Jamnagar,” an IAF assertion mentioned on Saturday.

In addition, the IAF mentioned COVID aid operations have been targeted in these coastal areas for the approaching few days, as dangerous climate is more likely to have an effect on air operations later. The cyclone aid operations are in addition to these underway for COVID aid, it added.

According to the Navy’s Information Fusion Centre for Indian Ocean Region (IFC-IOR), the cyclone in Arabian Sea is more likely to intensify right into a extreme cyclonic storm and additional intensify into very extreme cyclone storm late hours of May 15 or early hours of May 16. It is more likely to transfer north-northwest and cross between Porbander and Naliya on May 18, IFC-IOR mentioned on social media.

Oxygen transport

On the continuing transportation of emergency oxygen and different medical provides, each throughout the nation and from overseas, the IAF mentioned that as on Saturday morning domestically it had carried out 778 sorties accumulating 1,147 hours and airlifted 490 tankers with 8,343 MT capability and 209 MT of different tools.

In the worldwide sorties, the IAF has up to now carried out 130 sorties accumulating 633 hours and transported 104 containers with 872 MT in addition to 352 MT of different tools.

Under the Navy’s Operation Samudrra Setu-II, which noticed 9 ships deployed to ferry emergency oxygen and different medical provides from pleasant international international locations, the Landing Platform Dock (LPD) INS Jalashwa arrived in Singapore. “It will be carrying back oxygen tanks, cylinders and other equipment to India. Efforts to fight COVID in India continue,” the Navy mentioned on social media.