Thiruvananthapuram: ‘Good professionals work better on a bad day’ is a dictum that Jeene Joseph remembers when we pose questions about his team’s work in deluge-hit Kerala. Further talk to his teammates of Indian Air Force, who were integral part of the task force for helicopter rescue and relief operations in flood-hit area, and one could understand that they all stick to this dictum of their Group Captain.

With two dozen pilots and five dozen support staff, the Air Force team under Jeene Joseph salvaged many from the flood-hit areas. “We could rescue the lives of more than 500 people. Adverse weather and connectivity problems posed major threat in our rescue operations. But we could overcome all with support from the local people and volunteers,” said Jeene Joseph.

“Hats off to the common people who emerged as real heroes of these tiring times,” pitches in Flight Lieutenant Joseph Koshy, who was on ground at Pathanamthitta to coordinate the rescue and relief efforts.

“I saw many volunteers during these operations, who were contributing remarkably to rescue efforts. Without their support, we would have found our mission more complicated,” says Joseph Koshy. He was coordinating the Air Force team which evacuated the flooded Muthoot Hospital at Kozhencherry.

A combined effort by the local people, volunteers, district administration and Army could evacuate many people from the hospital. But there were seven critically-ill patients who were to be airborne to another hospital. It was a great challenge to shift them to another hospital. Water level in Kochi was rising and it was not advisable to shift them to Kochi. We could not move to Thiruvananthapuram too due to adverse weather. We had to find a suitable place where we could safely alight. I passed the coordinates of a particular hospital in Kottayam and asked the pilot to first survey the area. After finalising the destination, we, with the help of local people, shifted the patients, says Joseph Koshy.

Shifting luggage, medicines and the life-saving equipment too were carried out with the help of volunteers and doctors. A water tank on the top of the hospital was cut on top and it was used to carry out luggage out of the hospital with the help of volunteers.

When they were operating from Thiruvalla also, volunteers turned up in hundreds for packing food materials to be airdropped. “Without them, we couldn’t have carried out our duty on time. I have got goosebumps when I recollect how they all together extended support to fellow human beings,” he said.

Squadron Leader Ansha V Thomas who was at Alappuzha too is all praises for the efforts of the public. “I studied at Chengannur and the Whatsapp group formed by my classmates and volunteers there helped locate the distressed accurately. We were receiving a lot of bogus rescue requests too. With the help of this group and volunteers, we could identify the genuine ones. This helped us to act swiftly and efficiently,” she says.

 

Rescue of thirty-three girls from Eramelikkara Sree Ayyappa College, Chengannur was a major challenge she had to take up.

“We were working closely with the State government and the district administrations concerned. We designated Malayalam-speaking officers in various districts to ensure efficient coordination,” said M S Mathew, Wing Commander who was coordinating the efforts of the team and the State administration from the Emergency Operations Centre at Secretariat.

“We had Squadron Leader Ansha V Thomas at Alappuzha, Flight Lieutenant Joseph Koshy at Pathanamthitta, Squadron Leader Vinod at Ernakulam, Wing Commander Rose Chandran at Thrissur and Wing Commandor Zakaria at Malappuram. This facilitated better communication,” said Jeene Joseph.

“Many times, we were touched by people’s desire to save the lives of others. We had instances where people stranded on the terrace of two-storied houses, directing us not to save them, but those in nearby houses, who are more affected,” said Jeene.

“Flood-hit people also never tried to hoard food items. If they had enough to eat, they readily directed us to neighbouring houses that were in need of airdropped food,” said Jeene Joseph.

“The concern and love that the distressed showed towards us is really touching. My team airlifted a 99-year-old woman. We knew that she was stranded for days and had no food. But when she met me after being airlifted, the first thing she asked me was whether I had my food. Those experiences make me humble. I intend to get in touch with her. But I don’t know how I can,” says Joseph Koshy.

After playing a major role in rescue operations, the Air Force also contributed Rs 20 crore to Chief Minister’s Distress Relief Fund. Air Marshal B. Suresh, Air Officer Commanding in Chief, Southern Air Command handed over the cheque to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan in Thiruvananthapuram on Saturday.