Waranga:When the lives of countless people in Mahbubabad district were in danger after heavy rains and flood waters began to overflow from lakes, 52 of which burst, rescue came from unexpected quarters.
At midnight on August 31, when everyone was fast asleep, the Pedda Cheruvu at Ravirala burst and flooded the village.
One K. Lakshmi suddenly woke up and noticed that some of the containers in her house were floating in the water. She alerted her family and went around the colony waking up other residents. Many of them ran to the terraces of their houses. Although 72 houses were damaged, rescue teams arrived eight hours later.
Nellikudur Sub-Inspector Ch. Ramesh Babu received a phone call from people who said they were stranded in an RTC bus near Ravirala bus stand. The official arranged for a bulldozer to be brought in and rescued 11 passengers.
An RTC bus heading to Mahbubabad from Vemulawada with 45 passengers, including 32 women and children, was stranded in a flooded culvert near Thopanapalli village. The driver Srinivas manoeuvred the vehicle to a slightly elevated spot. The passengers called their relatives, who alerted the police. They were rescued after 10 hours.
Ch. Nagesh, sub-inspector of Sirole Mandal, received a phone call from the villagers of Sitaram Thanda asking for help as they were trapped in the flood waters. Along with a team, Nagesh rescued around 100 villagers who were trapped in the waters of Akeru Vagu at around 3 am.
Revenue Minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy thanked the Sirole SI for their valiant efforts in rescuing an elderly woman, whom he carried after putting her in a sack made of saris.