New Delhi: Responding to cyclone Hudhud, thearmed forces today repositioned their resources to assist the civil administration to launch rescue and relief operations in the affected regions of Andhra Pradesh and Odisha.
The Andhra Sub-Area of Army has deployed four teams of its personnel at Vishakhapatnam and as many teams at Srikakulam. Army has also established a Disaster Management Cell at Air Defence College, Gopalpur.
Six teams and ten sub-teams have been deployed for Road Opening Party and launching rescue and relief operations at Gopalpur. Army has also kept 25 rescue teams and two Engineer Task Forces on standby at Ranchi, Allahabad and Secunderabad.
Navy has also positioned its resources and personnel in some of the important areas of Odisha and Andhra Pradesh, including Chilka and Vishakhapatnam, for relief and rescue operation.
It has kept 30 diving teams with Gemini craft and associated equipment, 20 rescue teams, four ships with Medical Bricks and medical stores, six helicopters and two fixed winged aircrafts and two medical teams ready at Vishakhapatnam for undertaking rescue and relief operations, a Defence Ministry statement said here.
The Air Force has already geared itself up to undertake relief, rescue and rehabilitation operations as and when required.
To bolster transport efforts, IAF has kept one IL-76, one C-17 and five AN-32 aircraft ready at Chandigarh, Delhi, Jorhat and Agra.
Keeping rescue operations in mind it has kept in standby mode three Chetak choppers at Hakimpet, one Medium Light Helicopter (Mi-8) at Yelahanka and ten Medium Light Helicopters (Mi-17) at Nagpur, Hyderabad, Kalaikunda, Suratgarh, Bagdogra and Barrackpore.
Coast Guard has also deployed 17 ships, two Air Cushion Vessels (ACVs) and 13 aircraft in Eastern and North-Eastern regions to augment the rescue and relief operations, wherever required.
As the exact nature and magnitude of devastation is yet to emerge completely, the state authorities are now monitoring the route and velocity of the cyclone closely. The contour and the magnitude of relief operations by the armed forces in these two states will be shaped accordingly, the statement said.
"Communication has totally collapsed...power and telecommunication. We are working on rescue. Our administration, so far as possible, wherever they can reach they are reaching," Naidu told reporters in Hyderabad.
Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said the cyclone had its impact in different districts like Ganjam, Gajapati, Koraput, Puri, Kalahandi and Kendrapara.
"Due to the hilly topography, the cyclone's intensity will reduce in next six hours and further reduce in next 12 hours. However, the area (Vizag) will experience heavy to very heavy rainfall for the next three days," Rathore said earlier in the day.
As the storm progresses, it will bring heavy rainfall to very heavy rainfall in Chhatisgarh, Bihar, East Madhya Pradesh and East UP and Gangetic belt of West Bengal, he said.
"The PMO is monitoring the situation arising out of the cyclone at regular intervals," he added.
Aircraft services will be able to operate from tomorrow morning as the weather is expected to improve, officials said.
Union Cabinet Secretary Ajit Kumar Seth said the Prime Minister was concerned not only about AP and Odisha but also wanted other states, which could face heavy rains minus the cyclone, to be alerted.
Seth advised residents of cyclone-hit Vizag to exercise caution till the second phase of the high wind is over even as he lauded the efforts of the central agencies and state government in meeting the challenge.
Twenty-four NDRF (National Disaster Response Force) teams (each comprising 45-50 members) are on duty on the Andhra coast, including three that are on the way.
Six helicopters have been positioned in the Naval base here while two Army columns are also stationed in Vishakapatnam and at Srikakulam with power boats and other equipment for rescue and relief operations. In addition, 56 boats and launches have been deployed.
