With severe cyclone Phailin set to hit the eastern coast on Saturday night, the Defence forces went on the highest degree of readiness to render humanitarian services and mobilised strategic transport aircraft C-17 Globe Master and C-130 Super Hercules, two naval ships and Army’s engineering columns to counter any eventuality. The IAF and Navy have deployed more than 25 aircrafts and helicopters while the Army has moved its command and control to Bhubaneshwar besides hundreds of soldiers for likely rescue and relief operations.
The IAF’s C-17 Globe Master undertook its first sortie to transport relief materials, including specialist Army vehicles and ambulance from bases in Central India to Bhubaneshwar. The C-17 airlifted 60 troops along with rescue and medical material, including heavy vehicles and ambulance from Allahabad and stationed them at Bhubaneshwar on Saturday morning. This besides, the IAF has already started transporting NDRF personnel and other heavy relief equipment by Il-76 and AN-32 transport aircraft from various bases across the country. The IAF has also kept in readiness two C-130J Super Hercules towards rescue and relief efforts. Mi-17 V5 helicopters are also kept on standby at Barrackpore near Kolkata for rescue and relief activities in Odisha.
Meanwhile, the Eastern Naval Command of the Indian Navy has assumed the highest degree of readiness to render all necessary humanitarian assistance and has put two naval ships, including the landing Platform Dock INS Jalashwa, on standby to carry out relief and rescue operations in the areas that are likely to be affected in Odisha.
The INS Jalashwa, second largest combatant of the Indian Navy, is ideally equipped to undertake Humanitarian Aid Distress Relief (HADR), evacuation, logistic support and hospital ship operations. Both the ships are poised with additional divers, doctors, inflatable rubber boats, integral helicopters and relief material that include food, tentage, clothes, medicines, blankets in quantities sufficient to sustain over 5,000 personnel for three days.
Six advance diving teams with inflatable boats, rescue material and satellite communication have left for Odisha by road and will operate from INS Chilka, 50 km north of Gopalapatnam, where the cyclone is expected to make landfall. These personnel will be assisted by four platoons from the local Naval station and doctors from INHS Nivarini in their rescue and relief efforts.
The Eastern Naval Command is monitoring the developments closely and is in constant communication with the State administration to augment rescue and relief operations. Six helicopters are kept on standby at the Naval Air Station INS Dega to undertake reconnaissance, rescue, casualty evacuation and air drop relief materials to the stranded.
This besides, four naval ships, 30 diving teams, four platoons with composite satellite communication and additional relief material are ready to be pressed into action at short notice, all along the East Coast from Visakhapatnam to Paradip. The Indian Army, meanwhile, mobilised an Engineering column comprising medical and signal entities from Bhubaneshwar to Gopalpur in the Ganjam district of Odisha. Additional Engineering columns and Signal columns are also expected to arrive in Bhubaneshwar and adjoining coastal areas from various units of the Army’s Eastern and Central Commands.