Minister Kollu Ravindra travelling on an earthmover to distribute food packets to residents of the flood-affected areas in Vijayawada city on Monday.
| Photo Credit: G. N. RAO
A respite from rains in the last 24 hours helped Andhra Pradesh government intensify the flood relief and rescue measures in the flood-ravaged parts of the State, especially Vijayawada city and its suburbs which bore the brunt of nature’s fury. The death toll at 3 p.m. was 17 in NTR, Guntur and Prakasam districts and three persons are missing in NTR district.
Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu visited the affected areas in Vijayawada well past midnight and was on the field till about 3 a.m. on Monday in spite of security concerns, and again took to the flood waters in a boat a few hours later.
He spoke to the people who were stuck in their houses amidst several feet of swirling water that gushed from the Krishna River and Budameru rivulet, and personally handed over food to some of the victims.
Mr. Naidu has been closely monitoring the situation from the NTR District Collectorate on M.G. Road in Vijayawada city, where he stayed put since Sunday morning, along with a battery of elected representatives and senior officers.
A State Disaster Response Force personnel carrying an old man to safety through the flood water at Ajit Singh Nagar in Vijayawada city on Monday.
| Photo Credit:
GIRI KVS
Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to Mr. Naidu over phone and assured of all possible support from the Central government, and the Union Home Ministry dispatched eight NDRF teams which worked alongside State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and the police.
Mr. Naidu wanted the unprecedented rains and floods to be declared as a national calamity.
A total of six helicopters airlifted food and other essentials to the flood victims and 110-plus boats were involved in shifting people to safety. The boats were brought in trucks from the neighbouring districts on war footing and several cranes and earthmovers were deployed. More than three lakh food packets were distributed to the people who had nowhere to go.
Residents walking on Ajit Singh Nagar flyover in Vijayawada to collect food packets and some others returning after collecting relief items on Monday.
| Photo Credit:
GIRI KVS
Some areas in Vijayawada city resembled rivers as boats were moving around amidst a large exodus of stranded people to safety. Hundreds of people were held up on the top floors and terraces of their apartments.
The Medical and Health department was supplying 75,000 emergency medical kits in the city and it set up 15 medical camps.
An average rainfall of 31.50 cm on a single day on August 31 in Vijayawada sent people scrambling for cover.
Vehicular traffic has been disrupted at many places on the National Highways (NHs) and many trains had to be either cancelled or diverted due to the flooding of tracks in Vijayawada and Guntur divisions.
The historic Prakasam barrage near Vijayawada was closed for vehicular traffic as about 11.34 lakh cusecs of flood water was being discharged due to massive inflows.
A pillar at Gate No. 69 of Prakasam Barrage in Vijayawada was damaged after boats which were washed down in flood collided with the gates on Monday.
| Photo Credit:
G. N. RAO
Five wooden boats that were swept away by the flood from upstream crashed into the barrage causing minor damage to the counterweight structure at the 69th gate in the early hours .Crops in NTR, Krishna, Guntur and Bapatla districts suffered extensive damage.
Meanwhile, the officials heaved a sigh of relief as only light to moderate rainfall has been forecast for September 3, as otherwise the crisis would aggravate.
