Cyclone Mandous: Disaster response force teams on standby

CHENNAI: Chennai City Police has kept 12 trained disaster response force teams and four teams with boats to engage in rescue and relief operations if needed, as part of preparation for Cyclone Mandous' landfall.

Each disaster response force team has ten policemen trained in swimming and disaster response and is headed by a sub inspector and have all rescue materials on standby with them, an official release said.

Apart from this, a Tamil Nadu State Disaster Response Force team comprising 40 members is also prepped up and on standby.

As many as 16,000 police personnel drawn from law and order, traffic and special divisions will be engaged round the clock for cyclone duty. City police have also engaged the services of 1500 home guard volunteers for rescue and relief operations.

City Police Commissioner Shankar Jiwal reviewed the preparedness of the rescue teams on Friday.

Patrol vehicles will be on the move in neighbourhoods advising public about cyclone updates through PA (public announcement) systems. The patrol vehicles will ensure that advertisement hoardings and banners placed precariously are relieved and placed in safe areas.

Coastal security group personnel have been placed near beaches to ensure public do not come near the shore at night, a senior police officer said.

Barricades have been erected around potholes and trenches on damaged interior roads for the safety of vehicle users. City police appealed to public to not venture on roads unless absolutely necessary until the cyclone makes a landfall and it is officially announced that it is safe to venture out.

Police will be working in co-ordination with Chennai Corporation to ensure relief measures in low-lying neighbourhoods.