Kerala floods: These villages collectively cheer for valiant efforts of police and rescue personnel

“On Thursday morning, we realised that water was rising very fast, it had entered our front-yards and kept climbing. We were really scared. By afternoon, our local ward members and police officers came to us begging us to lock our homes and leave for the nearby relief camp. I remember Sub-Inspector Shibu sir in particular who literally swam in waist-deep water to rescue all of us,” said Gowri Dineshan, a resident of the island, on Monday.

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Sudden and fast flooding in areas like Kozhithuruth and Chenapuram are interminably linked to the gush of water through the shutters of dams like Peringalkuthu, Sholayar and Idamalayar. Prior warnings are always relayed to the district administrations ahead of opening of shutters. This time too, officials say strict protocol was followed without any space for error. Since the water from the dams always take a minimum of 2-3 hours to reach these areas, local panchayats and district authorities use the time to evacuate those in sensitive areas. In the meantime, the local schools are readied with essential supplies to house those in need.

Babu, a panchayat ward member (Express Photo)

Shibu EV, the SI in-charge of the Puthenvelikkara police station who led relief efforts within his jurisdiction, is down with a fever at a local hospital after he got drenched in the rains. But he doesn’t give much serious thought to it. He’s rather relieved that he was able to reach out to everyone in need.

“Wherever I am posted, I always have a habit of connecting with the locals, staying in touch and engaging in charity projects. I came here 8-9 months ago, but I udnerstood the geography of the place. We had strict instructions from Superintendent of Police Rahul R Nair to evacuate those in sensitive areas, so we were prepared,” said Shibu EV over phone from a hospital bed.

“We formed groups on WhatsApp and Facebook with resident associations, ward members, church representatives and young volunteer groups. We kept sending them repeated messages that they should shift to the relief camps. Time was of the essence. We had to get in before the water does, otherwise, we can never pull out those people,” he added.

The police officer said they first identified the households that had elderly people, pregnant women and small children. They were pulled out first, followed by big and small families, last those whose homes were situated on higher areas.

“I can understand their mental agony in leaving their homes and go somewhere. But we have to remember that water floods very fast in areas like Kozhithuruth. If we can’t get to them at the right time, we may lose them,” said the police officer.

Jose, the local panchayat member who represents the 8th ward comprising of Kozhithuruth and nearby areas, was active on the phone, answering frantic calls from locals and taking rounds of flood-affected neighbourhoods on his scooter. Wherever he would find people stuck in homes, unable to get out, he would make calls to the police and rescue teams.

“When we heard the dam shutters will have to be thrown open, we convened a meeting of all political parties, trade bodies and religious groups at the panchayat. Responsibilities were delegated to specific groups. People volunteered in different ways. Police officers in uniform waded through waist-deep water to forcibly bring people to relief camps from their inundated homes. It was like a well-oiled machinery, that’s why we were able to save all lives,” said Jose, who’s now going around collecting signatures and identification papers of those who have been promised allowances from the government.

Jose said he was surprised to witness the outpouring of help that came from different corners in the form of essential supplies to the relief camps. Puthenvelikkara village alone had 11 relief camps set up at different schools. Men and women joined hands in cooking food for the inmates, taking care of pregnant women and the elderly.

“We got timely meals and blankets at night. We spent five days eating and sleeping together. We actually didn’t feel like coming back home,” a woman said with a smile.