More than 5,000 tribal families had taken shelter on the hilltops to protect themselves from the recent unprecedented Godavari floods that inundated the habitations on the Andhra Pradesh-Telangana border in Eluru district.
“For the first time, we had to stay put atop the hills for 10 days as the water level did not recede,” said residents of Repakagommu hamlet.
With the floodwaters receding, the tribal people started descending the hills and rebuilding their damaged thatched houses.
More than 100 hamlets in Velerupadu and Kukunur mandals in the district had been inundated. About 20,000 families were affected as their houses were submerged.
Apart from essential commodities, about 4,500 tarpaulins were distributed among the flood victims, said district Collector V. Prasanna Venkatesh.
“Road links and waterways were cut off to about 10 habitations along the river’s banks. As boats too could not reach them, the tribal people had to climb up the hills,” said Mr. Venkatesh, who visited the tents erected atop the hills at Koida and Katukuru hamlets.
A team of officers, including Joint Collector P. Arun Babu, which accompanied the Collector, visited the victims in the tents and enquired about their welfare.
“Food, water and milk were air-dropped. Electricity was provided by arranging generators atop the hills,” said Raja Reddy, a flood victim.
“As people took shelter on the hills, relief and medical camps were arranged there. Rice, vegetables, biscuits, milk and emergency medicines were supplied through launches,” Mr. Venkatesh said.
“As the water levels were rising, we moved to the nearby hills, cleared the bushes and erected tents to protect ourselves,” said a villager, Manjula. She thanked the officers for reaching out to them in the hour of crisis.
