With God’s own havoc beginning to subside and bits of the available transport infrastructure now being spared from actual flood relief and made available to end television crews’ misery of being stuck on the edge of an impassable sheet of water that then becomes their static footage of the floods, TV reporters and anchors have now started praising the role of ‘locals’ in the rescue and relief work. Surprise, surprise! The relief response in Kerala has been as stupendous as the floods themselves.

The official machinery worked, with armed forces units and the National Disaster Response Force working in tandem with, and as coordinated by, the local administration.

Helicopters and naval and coastguard boats rescued people stranded atop homes and other elevations.

Empowered to Preserve…
But the biggest rescue work was done by Kerala’s fisherfolk, who arrived with their boats, strong bodies and generosity of spirit and spent tireless hours moving people to safety.

A million or so people made it to schools, churches, community halls and other large buildings that turned into functional relief camps. Ordinary people ran the camps. Volunteers turned up in droves. Food and other essentials materialised.