MADURAI
Use of improvised floats, made of household articles, at times of floods was demonstrated to the ‘first responders’ here on Wednesday.
Members of Sri Satya Sai Disaster Management Team, led by its coordinator R. Narayanasamy, demonstrated various types of improvised floats. While one of them was made by tying two bamboo sticks with two plastic pots (kudam), another one was made of sticks tied to two bubble tops (with mouths sealed) and the third one by using oil tin boxes.
“During disasters, people cannot go out to get floats. But, they can make improvised floats using these household items within a few minutes and safely pass through flood waters,” Mr. Narayanasamy said.
People could also use pet bottles of soft drinks to make floats. “They can tie a series of bottles with their mouths tightly sealed and tie them around their waist to keep afloat,” he said.
Another demonstration was on how to escape from one side of flood waters to the other side by holding on to a tight rope tied above the water.
The team members also demonstrated a rope bridge that could be used to evacuate people from marooned areas. It would enable people to walk on holding ‘V’ shaped railings (also ropes) for support.
Polypropylene rope of 15 mm thickness could be used to make bridges for up to 100 metres within a couple of hours. It could withstand a weight of up to two tonnes.
Collector K. Veera Raghva Rao, who was present, said the first responders should be taught safety aspects in rescue operations. “They should be told that the mouth of bubble tops should be tightly sealed. Similarly, the mouth of tin boxes should be placed on the upper side so that water does not enter into them,” he said.
He also wanted the first responders to know how to walk on a rope bridge without compromising on the safety of the people being evacuated. The Collector himself demonstrated it by walking on the rope bridge.
Scores of volunteers who had offered to come forward to help the district administration to mitigate the impact of disasters were taught the rescue techniques in the two-day training programme that concluded on Wednesday.