Huzurabad inspector and team stood hours in the night to rescue stranded man from floods

Karimnagar: Heavy rainfall created havoc in Karimnagar's Huzurabad on 14 August. Local rivers and canals overflowed flooding the area, disrupting connectivity, and disturbing normal life.

At around 12:30 that night, a constable at Huzurabad police station received a call from a man who was stranded in the floodwater. The constable tried to call the fire department but realised there was no help coming from there. So, he called his Circle Inspector, Madhavi.

“Because of the heavy rains, the stranded man could not reach Dial 100 and hence called the constable directly on his mobile. Also, the fire department's phone was engaged that night because of the rains. I stay in a quarter near the police station and the constable called me,” said Madhavi.

The CI took a team of 11 officers, necessary equipment like ropes, and set out to rescue the man.

However, the water from the local river had flooded the area and they had to change their plans. “The person was around seven-eight km away but because of the floods, we had to travel around 13 km to reach him. I tried calling the local sarpanch and others but could not reach anyone,” said Madhavi.

The man was travelling on his motorbike and did not realise the depth of the water. He got stuck and was unable to move forward due to the heavy floodwater. “We tied a rope to our vehicle and somehow reached the person and saved him that night,” said Madhavi.

A few days ago, on a rainy night, the team had saved a senior citizen who was coming with his son on a motorbike. “That night, too, the road was damaged and it was raining heavily. When we reached them, the senior citizen was shivering. We rescued them. That gave us the motivation to save this person,” the CI said.

The inspector is proud of her team and their efforts. “When we come out of our civilian life, our motives change. Our responsibilities change and we serve the citizen first before thinking about our own lives,” said Madhavi.