Rescue operations have been scaling up in Uttarakhand over the last 72 hours. Every year, the state sees flash floods. But this year, the monsoon has hit earlier and harder.
The Indian Air Force joined rescue operations today- the weather finally improved just enough to let choppers take off and air-lift stranded tourists, pilgrims and residents.
At 11:45 am, I boarded one of the Air Force choppers flying from Dehradun to some of the worst-affected districts.
It was around 12 pm that the M-17 chopper took off. There were food packets lying all around me, filled with biscuits, bread and water bottles. I was told there were 500 packets on board, and that they were to be air dropped at the Kedar valley. These will barely suffice, since we are told that there are at least 30,000 people stranded in these districts.
We reached upto a height of 3000 meters above the ground. The rear section of the helicopter was kept open to drop the packets.
There was a diversion due to poor weather condition near the Kedar valley. We landed at a place called Gupt Kashi, which is 150 km away from Dehradun. There were people circling around the helipad. Food packets were hurriedly handed over. But the rush was not for food. People who had been stranded for days now, and finally saw a way to return, huddled around the chopper trying to push their way in. But the helicopter had a maximum capacity of 10 people. So we could only pick up six people including a 45-year -old woman named Amrita.
She had travelled on her own from Delhi to Uttarakhand, hoping to visit the Badrinath temple. She was stranded at Gupt Kashi for three days. She had to leave her luggage behind, but was grateful to be leaving on the chopper.
As the weather deteriorated, we could not enter Kedar Valley. But the priority was now to get the evacuees to safe ground. We landed at Dehradun after being air borne for close to two hours.
The mission was not accomplished. All the food packets were not dropped. Only six people could be rescued.
But a drop in the ocean seems a lot today.
The Indian Air Force joined rescue operations today- the weather finally improved just enough to let choppers take off and air-lift stranded tourists, pilgrims and residents.
At 11:45 am, I boarded one of the Air Force choppers flying from Dehradun to some of the worst-affected districts.
It was around 12 pm that the M-17 chopper took off. There were food packets lying all around me, filled with biscuits, bread and water bottles. I was told there were 500 packets on board, and that they were to be air dropped at the Kedar valley. These will barely suffice, since we are told that there are at least 30,000 people stranded in these districts.
We reached upto a height of 3000 meters above the ground. The rear section of the helicopter was kept open to drop the packets.
There was a diversion due to poor weather condition near the Kedar valley. We landed at a place called Gupt Kashi, which is 150 km away from Dehradun. There were people circling around the helipad. Food packets were hurriedly handed over. But the rush was not for food. People who had been stranded for days now, and finally saw a way to return, huddled around the chopper trying to push their way in. But the helicopter had a maximum capacity of 10 people. So we could only pick up six people including a 45-year -old woman named Amrita.
She had travelled on her own from Delhi to Uttarakhand, hoping to visit the Badrinath temple. She was stranded at Gupt Kashi for three days. She had to leave her luggage behind, but was grateful to be leaving on the chopper.
As the weather deteriorated, we could not enter Kedar Valley. But the priority was now to get the evacuees to safe ground. We landed at Dehradun after being air borne for close to two hours.
The mission was not accomplished. All the food packets were not dropped. Only six people could be rescued.
But a drop in the ocean seems a lot today.
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