What would it be like, being in Kerala right now, working in flooded areas, relief camps or rescuing people? How bad was the situation in various districts when logistical or natural obstacles made it worse? And what kept the people going even as the situation went from bad to catastrophic?
These are some of the questions that ran in my mind every time I read a new news piece about the situation, and I finally found my answers in a personal account published by S Harikishore, a senior IAS officer.
Harikishore was asked to assist the District Collector of Pathanamthitta in a disaster relief operation.
Initially predicted to go on for only 2-3 days, the operation turned out to be a week-long mission of planning, coordination, execution and a continuous answering of thousands of calls.
“How can you stop taking calls when some of the calls were like ‘My parents are in the first floor and water is reaching their neck, and I am losing all hope,'” writes the officer.
Working round-the-clock with IPS officers, Harikishore successfully accomplished this seemingly impossible mission. Here is the entire account of the IAS officer, as shared on social media.
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First person account of the administrative challenges that the district of Pathanamthitta had to overcome during the #KeralaFloods, through the words of former District Collector of PTA, Harikishore IAS, who was sent there as a special officer.In 6 parts. pic.twitter.com/4Pg4WwJH0o
— Mir | മീർ (@mir19in) August 21, 2018
You can the original post by S Harikishore here.
(Edited by Gayatri Mishra)