Agencies take part in a tsunami mock drill at Palolem.
THE GOAN NETWORK
CANACONA
In the first of its kind tsunami mock drill at Palolem, various officials, agencies and machinery were involved in massive search, rescue and relief operations on Tuesday morning.
As per a State government order, Palolem (South Goa) and Morjim (North Goa) were chosen to hold the largest tsunami mock drill to move people to safety and shift injured to hospitals as part of a national tsunami mock exercise and implementation of UNESCOIOC Tsumani Ready Recognition programme (TRRP)on Tuesday. Incidentally, November 5 is observed as World Tsunami Day.
Canacona Dy Collector and SDO Madhu Narvekar, Mamlatdar Manoj Korgaonlar, police officials, officials and fire tenders, officials of Captain of Ports, rescue teams from naval authorities and Coast Guard and Canacona Community Health Centre were pressed into service.
Canacona Councillors Simon Rebelo, Laxuman Pagui, and many other prominent locals were present and even took part in the mock drills.
Fire tenders, ambulances and other different modes of transport were all kept on standby to shift injured people to the hospital or shift families, who were caught amid tsunami waves hitting the coastline and destroying their houses, to nearby higher lands to safety.
Following mock drowning calls, Drishti life-savers rushed to the sea and rescued victims brought them to the shore, provided them with CPR, and the victims were shifted in ambulances for medical treatment.
A helicopter also reached in the afternoon and carried some mock drills.
The exercise aimed to test and improve the standard operating procedures for tsunami response, including the evacuation process and the activation of early warning systems.
Incidentally, the mock drill took many visitors to Palolem beach by surprise, especially after the Tsumani warning siren, which was to have been sounded at about 7 am, sounded only late morning.
