Odisha Govt request Kerala govt to provide support to Oria people trapped in flood

Odisha government today requested Kerala government to provide necessary support and assistance to Odia people who are trapped in the devastating floods in the rain-battered southern state.

A list of 187 people of Odisha who have been trapped in the recent floods in Kerala has been sent along with the letter sent by the Officer on Special Duty (OSD) in Revenue and Disaster Management Department, S K Das, an official said.

The letter was sent to the Additional Chief Secretary in the Disaster Management Department of Kerala on the basis of information received by the state emergency operation center at the Special Relief Commissioner's (SRC) office here, the official said. "It is requested to kindly make necessary arrangement for providing necessary support in terms of food, drinking water, and other necessities to these people," the letter said.

Earlier on August 17, Odisha government had requested Kerala to provide assistance to around 130 laborers from the state trapped in Odapally following a distress call by some Odia people in the flood-ravaged southern state. Odisha government also set up helplines in SRC's office here to help the people in distress.

Any person from Odisha who has been affected may call up through the helpline numbers 1070 (toll-free) and 0674-2534177, sources said. Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had also spoken to his Kerala counterpart Pinarayi Vijayan over the phone about the situation and offered support required to tackle the calamity, as Odisha has expertise in dealing with disasters like flood and cyclone.

Odisha Government yesterday sent a special team of fire service personnel armed with modern equipment to assist in rescue and relief operations in flood-ravaged Kerala. Trained and experienced in flood rescue, the team including 225 fire service personnel, 15 supervisors and other officers left for Kerala in a special aircraft of Indian Air Force (IAF) carrying 75 power boats and state-of-the-art equipment, said an official.

The team also carried underwater equipment, 10 tower lights, power saws, solar searchlights, tents, 137 life buoy, 31 lifelines, 30 sleeping mats and other sophisticated gadgets to carry out rescue work, he said.

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