National Disaster Response Force teams rescue marooned villagers

GUWAHATI: The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has pressed eight search and rescue teams in the flood-ravaged areas of upper, lower and northern Assam.
In the last 10 days, the NDRF's teams evacuated 4,987 victims from Tinsukia, Dhemaji, Sonitpur and Kamrup (rural) districts and transported them to safer places till Friday night, said first battalion NDRF commandant, Alok Kumar Singh.
Sootea in Sonitpur district, Machkhowa, Sisi Boragaon and Somarajan in Dhemaji district and Dumdooma and Sadiya in Tinsukia district are the worst affected by the fury of the Brahmaputra and its tributaries, said Singh.
On Saturday, NDRF pressed into action three search and rescue teams in Tinsukia. Of them, two teams were deployed in Sadiya and one in Doomdooma. The situation remained grim in Sadiya in Tinsukia district and Sootea in Sonitpur district on Saturday as well. In Sadiya alone the NDRF has rescued 600 villagers. "We are carrying out rescue operation amid heavy rainfall in remote areas. Saving the lives of the marooned people is our top priority," said NDRF team commander in Sadiya.
Apart from rescuing 157 people in Rangiya in Kamrup (rural) district, NDRF teams are also assisting flood-affected people of Dhemaji district since the past 12 days.
"This year, floods have either destructed embankments or weakened them. As a result, most of the major rivers and tributaries have inundated hundreds of villages," he said .
On the direction of National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and DG of the NDRF, the first battalion NDRF has been imparting training to communities so that the flood-affected people can learn to assess threat of flood and reach safer places fast, the NDRF commandant said. The NDRF has saved over 23,000 flood victims this year. Its teams have assisted administrations in distributing relief material to over 13,000 flood victims, while its medical teams consisting doctors and paramedics have treated over 11,000 people.