Hudhud: Armed forces reposition resources in Andhra, Odisha

Responding to cyclone Hudhud, the armed forces have 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 (Tikli and Echerla). 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 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 in New Delhi.

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.