Flood, earthquake, landslide or even a child stuck in a bore well – who you gonna call? The Indian armed forces of course. Any calamity faced by the country; you can be sure of the Army, Navy and Air Force swinging into action and doing what needs to be done… effectively and swiftly. The Chennai floods in December 2015 are a case in point where our soldiers quietly and selflessly went about doing whatever was necessary to rescue and give aid to those in need. Even previously our armed forces have done this countless times; always rising to the occasion when required:
The 2004 Tsunami
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The Car Nicobar Air Force station was devastated by the 2004 Tsunami but that didn’t stop the air warriors from jumping into the water to swim right along with the army, navy and coast guard. Operation Madad and Operation Sea Waves swung into action within an hour of the tsunami hitting India’s east coast and the Andaman & Nicobar Islands.
2005 Kashmir Earthquake
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The devastating Muzaffarabad earthquake measuring 7.6 on the Richter scale saw our soldiers brave harsh and inhospitable terrain and inclement weather to rescue people from inaccessible places cut off by the quake. Risking their own lives, soldiers offered assistance to people regardless of which side of the border there were from.
2013 Uttarakhand, HP floods
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Rescuing stranded pilgrims and tourists, accessing remote hilly areas, relocating locals and helping visitors reach home, was all in a day’s work for the military’s rescue and relief ops. They cleared blocked roads, managed landslides, set up makeshift bridges and scaled craggy slopes.
2014 Kashmir floods
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We saw the military working tirelessly to rescue civilians from remote areas, navigating boats along the flooded streets of Srinagar, helping people cross dangerously swollen streams and rivers, bringing relief in any way possible.
2015 Nepal earthquake
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Our rescue and relief teams swung into action before the world even realised the magnitude of the tragedy and misfortunes our neighbours were facing.
Author: Reena Daruwalla
