A pentathlon involving trekking, rafting, kayaking, rowing, and sailing from Gangotri to Kolkata will conclude with the return of the six competing teams to Kolkata. Organized by the Sea Explorers’ Institute, the competition aims to promote water sports and raise awareness about keeping rivers clean.
ODRAF personnel distribute relief materials to villagers.
BHUBANESWAR: The Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF), an elite rescue unit of Odisha Police, has shifted its focus to villages that have been marooned by the ingression of sea and floodwaters in the aftermath of cyclone Yaas, which swept Balasore and Bhadrak on Wednesday. Additional forces and boats have been provided to them to reach out to the needy.
Rescue teams, which were pre-positioned in some other districts before the cyclone hit the state, have been diverted to the worst-hit Balasore and Bhadrak districts. The ODRAF teams have been given 63 inflatable rubber boats, 152 tower lights, 18 diesel generator sets of 10 kilo volt ampere (KVA), one 5 KVA generator, 35 generators of 3 KVA, 228 search lights, 330 branch cutters, 52 extendable saws, 88 bullet chain saws, 35 hydraulic rescue cutters, 11 plasma cutters, 16 gas cutters, 16 satellite phones, 123 walkie talkie gadgets and 50 global positioning system device