Naval ships and aircraft standby for cyclone rescue operations

Visakhapatnam: As depression over the southeast Bay of Bengal likely to intensify as Cyclonic Storm, Jawad and moving North Westerly direction and is likely to cross the coasts of north Andhra Pradesh and south Odisha on Saturday, Indian Navy is closely monitoring the movement of the cyclonic storm.

Headquarters of Eastern Naval Command and Naval Officers-in-Charge at Andhra Pradesh and Odisha Area have carried out preparatory activities to combat the effects of Cyclone Jawad and is in constant liaison with the State Administrations for rendering assistance as required.

As part of the preparedness, 13 flood relief teams (FRT) and four diving teams are kept on standby to be deployed for assisting in the rescue and relief operations. Three FRT and two diving teams have been dispatched to Odisha from Visakhapatnam to augment the existing resources.

Four ships are on standby with Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) bricks, diving, and medical teams to render assistance in the most affected areas along the Andhra Pradesh and Odisha coast.

Naval aircraft are kept ready at Naval Air Stations, INS Dega at Visakhapatnam and INS Rajali near Chennai to undertake aerial surveys of the most affected areas, casualty evacuation, and airdrop of relief material as required.