"Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible." - The Dalai Lama once said. This is one such heart-warming story, which makes us believe that in such a cruel world, good human beings do exist and it is never late to be one.
At a time when Kerala reels under floods where over 300 people have lost their lives, it is lovely to see how everyone has come forward to help. One such story is of the generosity of the displaced people who took shelter in a school in Kerala's Koonammavu district.
A facebook post of a room in Kongorpilly Govt Higher Secondary school used by the displaced people have gone viral on social media. The fourth floor of the school which was sheltering 1200 people was left in a spotless state by the inmates as a gesture of thank you for the authorities. The floors which had tiles were left so tidy and clean that the reflections of the mirrors could be seen. Not a single packet of any wrapper or garbage was to be found in the room.
"This place was home for me for last four days. How can I leave it dirty? We keep our home clean right?,” one of the inmates said.
It was not necessary for the inmates to clean the room where they stayed for less than a week. But, they did it anyway. Nice, isn't it?
See for yourself over here:
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Kerala got some respite on Monday with rains ebbing away but faced the gigantic task of rehabilitating those rendered homeless. Over 7.24 lakh displaced people have been sheltered in 5,645 relief camps dotting the state, officials said.
Lt. Gen. DR Soni, the chief of the Army's Southern Command, told a press conference in Thiruvananthapuram that rescue operations are still continuing and drones are being used to assist in reaching people trapped in areas not easily accessible.
"The focus is on complete rehabilitation," he said, adding 1,500 army personnel were engaged in rescue operations.
He said people stranded on rooftops and inaccesible areas were being winched with the help of defence helicopters.
Army personnel carrying satellite phones have fanned out to difficult to negotiate areas in search of stranded people, he said.
Efforts were now under way to clear the houses of the debris to make them habitable.
Kerala Water Authority and Kerala State Electricity Board were trying to restore water and power supply in vast areas that are without power and tap water for the last several days.
Commercial flight operations from the naval airport at Kochi commenced today with the first Air India flight from Bengaluru arriving this morning.
Small aircraft are being operated from the naval airport as the Kochi International Airport has shut operations till August 26 following flooding of the runways.
Relief material from different parts of the country has started arriving at the port here to provide some succour to the people of Kerala devastated by unprecedented floods in about a century, officials said.
A Cochin Port Trust official said Naval Ship INS Deepak, carrying relief material from Mumbai, arrived with about 800 tonnes of fresh water and nearly 18 tonnes of provisions.
Freshwater is being ferried on two barges to the affected areas. Trucks carrying provisions are being rushed for distribution, he said.
The official said another consignment of relief material sent by the shipping fraternity under an initiative of the Ministry of Shipping arrived at Vallarpadam.
A vessel with 50000 MT of crude from Mumbai has been diverted by BPCL to the Cochin port to meet the fuel demand of Kerala.
Incessant rains over the last few days have blurred the distinction between Kerala's backwaters and roads with sheets of water covering the landscape, but the state is facing shortage of potable water. Several fuel stations in the state are also reported to have run dry.
Train services between Thiruvananthapuram and Ernakulam have resumed and railways is also planning to conduct a trial run from Shornur to Ernakulam.
Train services from Thiruvananthapuram to Chennai, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Delhi have been partially restored.
In the worst affected Chengannur in Alappuzha district, efforts are on to rescue some of those stranded in certain pockets, including Pandanad.
(With PTI inputs)
