Kerala Floods - Aftermath and Save Sabarimala

UlanBatori · Post by **UlanBatori** » 20 Aug 2018 23:24

Enterprise flourishes... Tiruchi or Shanghai einstein collect funds for "Kerala CM"..

Exploiting the situation of the calamity in Kerala, a fake bank account attempting to collect funds in the name of Kerala Chief Minister’s Distress Relief Fund has been busted.
The fraudulent account with number 20025290179, claiming to be the bank based from Trivandrum has been shared widely on social media.
However, a rudimentary search based on the IFSCI code traced the bank to be located in Tiruchirapalli, Tamil Nadu.
TNM got in touch with the SBI to alert them and seek details about the account and the donations it received so far. Responding to the queries, SBI spokesperson said that the account has been blocked since the past two days.
“That account is a fake account, which has already been blocked. No transactions can happen now. There are hardly some Rs 2,000-Rs 3,000 in the account. There were no withdrawals from it. We are deliberating on what to do with the money in the account,” the spokesperson said.
The spokesperson however did not disclose on how the bank found that it is a fraudulent account, who is cheating the donors.
TNM urges the donors to verify the bank account before making donations. The genuine bank account of the CMDRF is 67319948232. The Chief Minister’s official Twitter account and Facebook account have shared the account details.

Must be Pakistani or Chinese. Thought "Tiruchi" == "Trichur" which being center of KL, must be capital also.

UlanBatori · Post by **UlanBatori** » 20 Aug 2018 23:35

https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/f ... rala-86937

There are also news reports of a woman, Sunitha, in Thrissur, who sent rescue officials back unless they allowed her to take her 25 dogs with her. She ultimately got in touch with HSI and was rescued along with her dogs.

UlanBatori · Post by **UlanBatori** » 20 Aug 2018 23:42

For Dileep: Dam water level data

uskumar · Post by **uskumar** » 20 Aug 2018 23:43

A result of 2015 Chennai floods was growth of weather blogs like chennairains and keaweather which provides daily and hourly forecast of weather. I hope this happens in Kerala also. This can't replace imd early warning system but can be very good source of information for general public.

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 20 Aug 2018 23:57

UB, Is IDRF taking donations for relief in Kerala and Kodagu? Please update.

UlanBatori · Post by **UlanBatori** » 21 Aug 2018 01:41

Yes.
http://www.idrf.org/
Or http://www.idrf.org/urgent-appeal-for-h ... d-victims/

I don't see one for Kodagu yet.

AIM for SEVA is also raising funds in Yoo Ess for Kerala
https://twitter.com/aim4seva/status/103 ... 02/photo/1

My 6th coujin sent a few paise to both, unrestricted.
BTW, in searching on Net for past work of AIMfor Seva in such things, I found this

“AIM for Seva” lodged and gave medical aid to 1,000 women and children and was feeding 3000 people in Koradacheri.

So while emergency relief is not their specialty, they have been effective in the past.

UlanBatori · Post by **UlanBatori** » 21 Aug 2018 02:07

While I bow to vinaji's detailed technical knowledge of the system, my feeling is that the reality in Malloostani offices is far simpl(istic)er. There was no indication of any sustained dam level monitoring or discussion of weather predictions, just the usual restatement of rain predictions on TV.

In this context, doppler radar will be just another raman-seetha type instrument sitting in a corner, or maybe they'll have an operator to put out color images that no one knows or cares how to use.

Apparently there was some sort of warning given in some areas after 10PM on the fateful night, with 2 polis and 2 firefighters going around collecting volunteers to inform people to pack up. This was as water began to rise. But the fact remains: a rise from "1 foot flood" to "4-foot flood with very strong flow" inside 1 hour so, This is not rain, it is dam-induced deluge. No downstream system can accommodate that sort of flow rate, so massive flooding is inevitable. So the ppl running the system appear to have no idea of the law of conservation of mass with the d/dt term, or they don't give a pakistan.

Only an open investigation and some stringent questions will bring out the truth. Losses to ppl must be made good by the govt, for starters.

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 21 Aug 2018 02:37

UB thanks.
Folks many corporations do matching funds.
See if these qualify and donate.

UlanBatori · Post by **UlanBatori** » 21 Aug 2018 05:42

These days (and for past 4/5 years) IDRF has the top 4-star rating from Charity Navigator. Faaaaar cry from 2002 when Charity Navigator would not even consider listing them, saying how can anyone have such low overhead! Well... they do have low overhead, deal with it.

If they are not on ur corporation's list for matching ask why not, given their stellar rating and long record of excellence in delivery.
BTW, SEWA

Don't know status of AIM for Seva, but I imagine that they are well-rated.

These people are specialists. They have volunteer (and now some paid full-time) staffers who do accounting, logistics, proposal evaluation, and all the intricacies of relief and reconstruction. Not fly-by-nite emotion-pullers who wake up on soc. media after a disaster and are gone a month later.
Relief and reconstruction/rehabilitation are VERY tough jobs. Not for the lily-livered or those of fleeting attention. When I got really distressed about the pakistaniyat that I encountered not too long ago in a project that started off extremely well, the chief of IDRF called me up and told me:

UB, the one thing I have learned in 50 years in this business is that in dealing with India, you never give up!
He should know: what he has dealt with is beyond recounting.

So this is the difference. Dealing with the real pros is a lot different than "send money, will think of good ways to spend it later" FB posts and other Social Media fundraising. But your money will be far more effectively spent.

Back in 2003 or so, OXFAM, the famous British charity commissioned an expensive Report on the success of their relief efforts after the 2001 Bhuj earthquake. They discovered to their chagrin that most of their funds ended up paying for spanking new Toyota SUVs.

Conclusion:

Effective relief and rehab operations require excellent grassroots operations.

Duh! That's what "we" told them, then and now.

habal · Post by **habal** » 21 Aug 2018 07:31

I suggest if someone is in a mood to donate, plz donate used or new heavy duty diesel/petrol engine high pressure washers. These things are worth their weight in gold in kerala now.

UlanBatori · Post by **UlanBatori** » 21 Aug 2018 07:52

Wonder if it is possible to hire someone with pressure-washer equipped/carrying trucks from nearby states and bring them to Malloostan? Mobility is key. Power, fuel, food and water can be on the truck. Are there such things available in B'luru/Salem/Chennai/Vellore/Coimbatore/Madurai/Toothukodi?

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 21 Aug 2018 07:59

i think only airports & railways tend to have them. or big car service workshops. what do you want to wash?

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 21 Aug 2018 08:05

from 2016

http://www.newindianexpress.com/nation/ ... 51304.html

Entire Indian coast to be covered by Doppler radar network by 2019-20: IMD chief
India is set to bring its entire coast under the coverage of Doppler Weather Radar (DWR) network for cyclone monitoring by 2019-20.

Published: 20th December 2016 10:02 PM | Last Updated: 20th December 2016 10:02 PM | A+A A-
By Siba MohantyExpress News Service
BHUBANESWAR: With climate change and global warming triggering unforeseen changes in the weather across the globe, India is set to bring its entire coast under the coverage of Doppler Weather Radar (DWR) network for cyclone monitoring by 2019-20, KJ Ramesh , Director General of the India Meteorological Department (IMD), said here on Tuesday.

Ramesh, who delivered a presentation at TROPMET 2016, elaborated how the country is undertaking a huge upgradation of its weather forecasting technology. From DWR to environmental monitoring, the Centre is shifting gears in a major way to cover all areas. The 11 S-band cyclone detection radars along the coast have been replaced by the Doppler radars in a phased manner, and soon DWR network will cover the entire coastline of the country.

Besides, another 22 radars are planned by Indian Air Force and IMD for the plains while exclusive DWR networks are under implementation for the Himalayas, while in North East the project is pending approval.

TROPMET 2016 is organised by the Indian Meteorological Society (IMS) in collaboration with the SOA University, Odisha Government and the Ministry of Earth Sciences.

Earlier, Senior Advisor to Ministry of Earth Sciences, Ramesh said data from the Indian network was rejected till 2007-08 by global weather numerical prediction centres due to its errors because of its non-GPS systems. However, GPS network is extended to 43 stations and data quality has improved substantially and found acceptance.

As part of surface observational network, all 70 airports will have rainfall sensors, all 660 district agro meteorology units (DAMUs) quality surface observators and 33,000 rain sensors, the IMD chief said.

About 10 years ago, Kalpana was the only satellite to provide observation on half-hourly basis and most products were in image form while today, imageries and digital data from INSAT 3-D with improved resolution complement the observational capabilities for monitoring severe weather events. When INSAT 3DR is launched, Ramesh said, it would provide data every 15 minutes. By 2020-24, processing systems will be established to receive and analyse data from INSAT 3DS, SCATSAT, OCEANTSAT-III, GISAt and Advanced GSAT.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 21 Aug 2018 08:10

http://www.imd.gov.in/pages/radar_main.php
http://www.imd.gov.in/section/dwr/dynamic/ins-radar.htm

seems like west coast has scanty assets - its oriented to himalayan rains and east coast cyclones - historically the highest damage causers.

this is easily fixable by buying a few more radars.

the CG has been funded to setup a network of coastal radars and LLTV cameras post 26/11

there are also disturbing rumours that many of the sea pressure buoys of the indian ocean tsunami network in goolf van bengalen are inoperational.
this when major quakes are occuring frequently near indonesia and this week a deep 9.0 on near hawaii

the 2004 quake was around 9.0 and shifted a plate around 1600km by some 10-20meters in a few seconds. the south part of the movement was brutally swift and generated the mega tsunami that devastated banda aceh and all points upto kenya. the northern part of movement was slow , so BD, AP,Odisha, WB, myanmar, malaysia and thailand escaped relatively unscathed..... all these coasts have dense pop...the tally would be 100-200k more if northern tsunami was big.

i hope we are not cutting corners in such a crucial warning network. 2 hrs warning could mean 50-100k lives saved.

i had just r2ied in dec 2004, woke up one morning and turned on tv....cars were overturned on the road behind marina beach. and old ladies from nearby settlements were fleeing in terror. not a edifying sight.

Dileep · Post by **Dileep** » 21 Aug 2018 08:16

Actually, there are domestic pressure washers sold by Bosch and a couple of other 'followers'. I bought one, which naturally is catching dust like a number of such gizmos. It is much easier to wash the car with a sponge. It is a pain to hook the garden hose and power to the gizmo and drag it around.

I had this product idea of a water cycling cleaner. A round cleaning head that pumps water on the periphery, brushes in the inner circle to rake thedirt and a vacuum at the centre sucking it all in. All goes into a wet vacuum style tank with two sections, where the silt accumulates in one, and water is separated and kept in the second section, to be cycled.

The problem is, it will take almost an year to design, tool up and launch the product. Given that most of the desi floors are hard/washable, maybe it can be the next "Eureka Forbes Vacuum" to be sold widely and catching dust at the homes. who knows!!

habal · Post by **habal** » 21 Aug 2018 08:25

>> what do you want to wash?

every house, shop, pavement, road, public facilities from where flood waters have receded have left behind a ton of muck and mud which are so sticky that they break brooms or mops used to remove them. Two people who came back from relief camps had a heart attack and died at the sight of a foot of muck to deal with. High pressure washers are ideal for this type of application but they must work from their own power source also engine based pressure washers are more robust than electrical ones for heavy duty applications. If any relief organizations were equipped with these tools it would highly destress the process of resettling people back from relief camps.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 21 Aug 2018 08:31

https://edition.cnn.com/2018/08/20/asia ... index.html

CNN playing its old games again ...

habal · Post by **habal** » 21 Aug 2018 08:42

this is gives an idea.

SaiK · Post by **SaiK** » 21 Aug 2018 11:14

So, this is the southwest monsoon (June /mid etavam-vRzabha), and soon we would be having the northeast monsoon (Oct/tulA). I'd be surprised if we don't find exact reasons and manage the flow-rates soon, we would see this repeat in the future. Chennai Floods II, is not if, but when.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 21 Aug 2018 11:24

once the mud dries it will be easier to cart off. some dust will be there though.

Dileep · Post by **Dileep** » 21 Aug 2018 12:02

This particular time, what happened is that the southwestern monsoon was active, and a depression happened in Bay of Bengal, which 'pulled' the moist air over KL. I don't remember a depression in BoB happening in the past during SW monsoon

Now what I am scared of is another depression in Indian Ocean during the Northeastern monsoon, doing the same in opposite direction

Dileep · Post by **Dileep** » 21 Aug 2018 12:08

Singha wrote:https://edition.cnn.com/2018/08/20/asia ... index.html

CNN playing its old games again ...

That is ABSOLUTE EVIL FABRICATION!! No one in Kerala will say that. I would like to hear this George guy saying in Malayalam what happened.

Sachin · Post by **Sachin** » 21 Aug 2018 13:02

UlanBatori wrote:There was no indication of any sustained dam level monitoring or discussion of weather predictions, just the usual restatement of rain predictions on TV.

As per some news reports (and through some social media groups of Kerala HAMs), it seems there was not a systematic (or GoK) way of informing the rising water levels in the dams at Idukki. At Idukki it was an Amateur Radio Station which was used to transmit reports on rising water levels to other parts of KL and to the state capital (through a VHF repeater). Did see a couple of pictures on social media of HAMs sitting with their VHF sets at the dam sites as well.

Wonder if it is possible to hire someone with pressure-washer equipped/carrying trucks from nearby states and bring them to Malloostan?

There are lots of trucks these days which comes up to clean up septic tanks. They generally have tanks, as well as powerful diesel pumps to suck the waste. My understanding is that they are similar to the "impellers" used in fire engines, and may be able to pump water at pressure as well.

Dileep wrote:Actually, there are domestic pressure washers sold by Bosch and a couple of other 'followers'. I bought one, which naturally is catching dust like a number of such gizmos.

Those things it seems generally do not work well, is what I heard from my brother who actually has it at home. It stops working especially if the water used is not very pure, dust free etc is what I heard. And its pressure also drops after 5-6 mins of use. It is not "industrial duty" kind of stuff.

That is ABSOLUTE EVIL FABRICATION!! No one in Kerala will say that. I would like to hear this George guy saying in Malayalam what happened.

May be it is CNN's counter to Caste bias alleged at relief camp report where the culprits were some one else

.
---------------------------------
Mean while...
Chandra Babu Naidu Garu seems to be in a different time zone altogether when he still says - Declare Kerala floods a national calamity: Chandrababu Naidu.

Kerala faces huge task of rebuilding.. There is also a message circulating on Facebook & WhatsApp that any relief fund (for individuals) coming from GoI is going to be using "Direct Bank Transfer", and not through any cash payment. This has also dashed the hopes of many "would be" agents, party workers etc. who were hoping to make some quick buck. The state should now work to draw up the list of the people needing such help and have perhaps camps dedicated to get all the information (getting bank account details, getting the Aadhaar numbers reverified etc.).

Kerala floods: Centre exempts relief goods from IGST, customs duty till Dec. This is a good move, but I also hope that all mandatory security checks and scans would NOT be stopped. This rescue attempt should not become an opening for smuggling & hawala.

Prasad · Post by **Prasad** » 21 Aug 2018 13:29

UlanBatori wrote: Back in 2003 or so, OXFAM, the famous British charity commissioned an expensive Report on the success of their relief efforts after the 2001 Bhuj earthquake. They discovered to their chagrin that most of their funds ended up paying for spanking new Toyota SUVs.

Oxfam is another in the long list of orgs that should duly be consigned to the waste dump instead of getting hyped by IT org HR numbskulls. https://twitter.com/search?l=&q=oxfam%2 ... i&src=typd

Dileep wrote:This particular time, what happened is that the southwestern monsoon was active, and a depression happened in Bay of Bengal, which 'pulled' the moist air over KL. I don't remember a depression in BoB happening in the past during SW monsoon

Now what I am scared of is another depression in Indian Ocean during the Northeastern monsoon, doing the same in opposite direction

Wouldn't that dump water on the eastern side then? Since that is the direction of the NE winds?

habal · Post by **habal** » 21 Aug 2018 13:57

It will happen again for sure. It was like an experiment was done and was successful beyond expectation.

From our end a few steps that can be taken are like partially emptying storage of dams before monsoons or keeping dams at slightly lower than expected levels to facilitate monsoon deluge. Perhaps the new coastal doppler radar network to be put in place before 2019 can help here. Also more coordination with TN over MP is mandatory because Kerala cannot afford another raising of 13 shutters by 6 ft at 2:30 AM repeat.

Building homes in flood plains actually isn't a problem if the govt and the home owners realize what risk they are putting themselves into, yet persist on living there. But building boundary walls around those homes and other constructions in flood plains is dangerous because these walls act as check dams and chennel flood waters to new areas hitherto not expecting flood waters. And these walls also block the natural drainage channels of flood waters causing above normal flooding in flood plains. Maybe houses on flood plains can be given permits only if they are built on stilts.

Also couple of other inadvertent causes also conspired to create this monster flood, but I am guessing those wont be repeated.

chetak · Post by **chetak** » 21 Aug 2018 14:09

Sachin wrote:
UlanBatori wrote:There was no indication of any sustained dam level monitoring or discussion of weather predictions, just the usual restatement of rain predictions on TV.
As per some news reports (and through some social media groups of Kerala HAMs), it seems there was not a systematic (or GoK) way of informing the rising water levels in the dams at Idukki. At Idukki it was an Amateur Radio Station which was used to transmit reports on rising water levels to other parts of KL and to the state capital (through a VHF repeater). Did see a couple of pictures on social media of HAMs sitting with their VHF sets at the dam sites as well.

Wonder if it is possible to hire someone with pressure-washer equipped/carrying trucks from nearby states and bring them to Malloostan?
There are lots of trucks these days which comes up to clean up septic tanks. They generally have tanks, as well as powerful diesel pumps to suck the waste. My understanding is that they are similar to the "impellers" used in fire engines, and may be able to pump water at pressure as well.

Dileep wrote:Actually, there are domestic pressure washers sold by Bosch and a couple of other 'followers'. I bought one, which naturally is catching dust like a number of such gizmos.
Those things it seems generally do not work well, is what I heard from my brother who actually has it at home. It stops working especially if the water used is not very pure, dust free etc is what I heard. And its pressure also drops after 5-6 mins of use. It is not "industrial duty" kind of stuff.

That is ABSOLUTE EVIL FABRICATION!! No one in Kerala will say that. I would like to hear this George guy saying in Malayalam what happened.
May be it is CNN's counter to Caste bias alleged at relief camp report where the culprits were some one else .
---------------------------------
Mean while...
Chandra Babu Naidu Garu seems to be in a different time zone altogether when he still says - Declare Kerala floods a national calamity: Chandrababu Naidu.

Kerala faces huge task of rebuilding.. There is also a message circulating on Facebook & WhatsApp that any relief fund (for individuals) coming from GoI is going to be using "Direct Bank Transfer", and not through any cash payment. This has also dashed the hopes of many "would be" agents, party workers etc. who were hoping to make some quick buck. The state should now work to draw up the list of the people needing such help and have perhaps camps dedicated to get all the information (getting bank account details, getting the Aadhaar numbers reverified etc.).

Kerala floods: Centre exempts relief goods from IGST, customs duty till Dec. This is a good move, but I also hope that all mandatory security checks and scans would NOT be stopped. This rescue attempt should not become an opening for smuggling & hawala.

vish kanya brinda karat has also entered the misinformation arena.

Just like she so poisonously did during the IC 184 hijacking drama and she seems hell bent on playing the very same malevolent, and spiteful role as she did then.

Nice, how the karats and the yechuris and the daniel rajas kept a very very low profile during the actual crises situation in various districts.

Sachin · Post by **Sachin** » 21 Aug 2018 14:13

UAE offers Rs 700 cr aid to flood-hit Kerala.
Card. Gracias appeals for solidarity, generosity for victims of Kerala floods (Vatican News)

Thank you! But this being Bharat-Rakshak forum; what has been the history of contributions of these two countries in other parts of India? Without knowing that perhaps we cannot read more into this. I am part of some social media groups (KL based) which is mainly into encouraging travel & tourism etc. But off late the true colours of such groups are coming out in the open, with the current thought levels being - "India has given only 600 crores, but UAE has given 700 crores & Can KL be made part of UAE??".

habal wrote:Building homes in flood plains actually isn't a problem if the govt and the home owners realize what risk they are putting themselves into, yet persist on living there.

We must also understand that KL is also in short supply of real estate (and with every Keralite having a dream of having one's own house). Perhaps this could also be the reason why many people started buying (with hell to legal approval for that) land in very many hill tracts and forest areas. And these would be people who with their income may not have been able to buy land at more safer places as well. So rehabilitating these people would be a challenge in the coming days.

This kind of rapid settling of large number of people in flood prone areas are also happening in cities like Bangalore as well. Luckily we don't get the rain fall which Kerala gets.

chetak wrote:vish kanya brinda karat has also entered the misinformation arena.

Her entry could have been delayed because so far her party was still groping around to reach a comfort level. Now that, it has been reached she has entered the parade. Daniel Raja also may have been quite after knowing about a modern day Nero, a shameless MLA from CPI. Shashi Tharoor MP also had opined that his presence was now NOT really required in the state, and was at World Malayali Council meet a Germany. These issues all had to die down, before Brinda and commies could enter the scene.

nandakumar · Post by **nandakumar** » 21 Aug 2018 14:16

Dileep wrote:This particular time, what happened is that the southwestern monsoon was active, and a depression happened in Bay of Bengal, which 'pulled' the moist air over KL. I don't remember a depression in BoB happening in the past during SW monsoon

Now what I am scared of is another depression in Indian Ocean during the Northeastern monsoon, doing the same in opposite direction

Not a weather expert, but an amateur enthusiast. Formation of low pressure ares in the Bay of Bengal are part of South West Monsoon phenomenon. Two things happened this year. One, they were of greater intensity than normal. As you point out one of them strengthened to the level of Depression. (In terms of levels of decline in atmospheric pressure, there are gradations starting from 'well marked low' to 'low pressure area' followed by 'depression, 'deep depression to cyclones category 1 to 5). This year there were two back to back LPAs one of which intensified into a depression. The second important factor from the point of view of rains in Kerala was the track they followed. It moved inland along Orissa, Chattisgarh, Vidharba track. It attracted moist air inflow from the Arabian sea along a Central to North Kerala axis. A slightly northward track would have pulled in moisture along Konkan, Goa, South Maharashtra course.

habal · Post by **habal** » 21 Aug 2018 14:54

Singha wrote:once the mud dries it will be easier to cart off. some dust will be there though.

in a tropical climate, if one allows dirt to cake in on any surface and dry with natural heat & light, it's going to leave a lifetime stain even after washing it off.

hnair · Post by **hnair** » 21 Aug 2018 16:04

Singha wrote: what it has revealed is the lack of waste segregation and recycling that is only being done in a few much-maligned places like BLR.

Ah yes, yet another revelation from you about Kerala.

This is an epic flood, that washed everything from landfills to our dead ancestor's photos to the sea. Please get off your high horse and step outside apartment complexes to see how rest of Bangalore, eg: Jagjivanram Nagar, does "segregation and recycling". My area segregates 6 different types (organic, combustible/yard waste, paper/carboard, plastics/bottles, oil and electronics/battery), doesn't mean a thing during this sort of floods. Am glad we dont use asbestos et al like khanland

No rural area in India can afford collection of certain solid wastes from far-flung communities, unless there is money in doing so from the governments. This flood affected rural areas.

Dileep · Post by **Dileep** » 21 Aug 2018 16:29

habal wrote:
Singha wrote:once the mud dries it will be easier to cart off. some dust will be there though.
in a tropical climate, if one allows dirt to cake in on any surface and dry with natural heat & light, it's going to leave a lifetime stain even after washing it off.

Absolutely. Just came back from a flooded house (our boss's mansion). With an army of workers, the tarry fine mud is resisting. The walls still show some stains. A re painting will be required to make it liveable. Once dry, the mud is like concrete!!

UlanBatori · Post by **UlanBatori** » 21 Aug 2018 17:05

Singha wrote:i think only airports & railways tend to have them. or big car service workshops. what do you want to wash?

In Ulan Bator one summer about teen saal pehle it actually rained. Water came in under the door of the crawl space, and filled the same to about 50mm height, that was all. Didn't see it immediately. Panicked when I saw it because I thought it was cracks in the concrete or seepage from under. It was neither, just failure to see that grass had risen and raised the path along with thunderstorm downpour was supposed to flow.

Took a couple of months of effort sitting on a car-repair "creeper" (ceiling of crawl space is like 3 feet off the floor) in darkness with a flashlight, sucking water out with a "Wet-Dry Vac" aka R2D2. Then came the realization that there was half an inch of mud below. (just from so little "CLEAN" rain water!!!!!!)

Pressure washer saved me. Absolutely indispensable to blast the mud out so that the pumps can suck it out. Pressure washers are absolutely needed. Electric will work only if there is a generator (truck-mounted?)

chetak · Post by **chetak** » 21 Aug 2018 17:14

Dileep wrote:
habal wrote:
in a tropical climate, if one allows dirt to cake in on any surface and dry with natural heat & light, it's going to leave a lifetime stain even after washing it off.
Absolutely. Just came back from a flooded house (our boss's mansion). With an army of workers, the tarry fine mud is resisting. The walls still show some stains. A re painting will be required to make it liveable. Once dry, the mud is like concrete!!

If nothing else works, then........

If the floor is tiled, maybe you can do an acid wash using a diluted acid that is available in the market for toilet cleaning.

Do a small "test" area first to check suitability.

ricky_v · Post by **ricky_v** » 21 Aug 2018 18:27

https://www.dnaindia.com/india/report-k ... es-2652806

In a bizarre twist, Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan’s office denied that Congress MP Shashi Tharoor was an emissary on behalf of the state government to seek help from the United Nations for flood-ravaged Kerala.

Congress MP Tharoor had tweeted: “Landed in Geneva to meet w/ @UN & international humanitarian agencies for consultations on #KeralaFloods. While seeking help is the prerogative of the Govt of India, i am here, in close consultation w/ @CMOKerala @vijayanpinarayi, to explore what help could be possible if sought.”

However, according to a report in News 18, the Kerala CM’s office has denied the same. Sources in CMO Kerala said that Tharoor hadn’t gone as representative of the state government and wasn’t their envoy. Tharoor had sought permission from a Delhi court to travel abroad to Geneva to pay respects to former UN chief Kofi Annan, who passed away recently.

Sachin · Post by **Sachin** » 21 Aug 2018 19:37

I was just scanning various social media channels especially now that topic has changed from rescue to relief & compensation. The UAE declaring a relief fund of 700 crores have bought in pretty much a hysteria in social media

. From what I could gather; many people are thinking that such kind of compensations are distributed by calling all people to some kind of a parade ground and ready cash payments are done to each individual with no much questions asked. So when 700 crores coming in from UAE, many of them may have even calculated a figure of their share.

My understanding is that such kind of compensations are not generally given as free doles, but through some verifiable mechanism which has checks and balances. The Central Govt. assistance would be through Direct Bank Transfer. How about others? Many people abused Modi for denying Kerala to get some compensation from the UN. But that has toned down a bit after knowing that UN too does not just give money packets to every one but generally routes such things through the International Red Cross (who again may only give relief materials, and no cash).

Malayalam media had deliberately tried to start a misinformation campaign; KL would have to pay for the rice supply which is coming from GoI. It took Ram Vilas Paswan to confirm that no such thing would be done. KL would get one month's ration (may extend to three months) free of cost. The real venomous creatures - the main stream media - in the state has now come out after the floods are over.

But does any one know how these kind of compensation business works in India context?

chetak · Post by **chetak** » 21 Aug 2018 19:54

Centre declares Kerala floods ‘Level-3’ calamity; demand to call it ‘national disaster’ amounts to ignorance or mischief

The Centre has placed the Kerala floods in the Level 3 — or L3 — category. This was made clear to the Kerala High Court on Monday in response to a petition, which had sought to have the floods declared a “national disaster”. The L3 status means that the Centre must help a state with its personnel and funds, which the Narendra Modi government has already begun to do in the case of the Kerala floods.

There is no law or provision in India under which a calamity anywhere in the country can be declared a “national disaster”. It was either out of sheer ignorance or deliberate political mischief that Kerala’s CPM-led Left Democratic Front government and other Opposition leaders, including Congress president Rahul Gandhi, demanded this label for the Kerala floods.

chetak · Post by **chetak** » 21 Aug 2018 20:00

Sachin wrote:I was just scanning various social media channels especially now that topic has changed from rescue to relief & compensation. The UAE declaring a relief fund of 700 crores have bought in pretty much a hysteria in social media . From what I could gather; many people are thinking that such kind of compensations are distributed by calling all people to some kind of a parade ground and ready cash payments are done to each individual with no much questions asked. So when 700 crores coming in from UAE, many of them may have even calculated a figure of their share.

My understanding is that such kind of compensations are not generally given as free doles, but through some verifiable mechanism which has checks and balances. The Central Govt. assistance would be through Direct Bank Transfer. How about others? Many people abused Modi for denying Kerala to get some compensation from the UN. But that has toned down a bit after knowing that UN too does not just give money packets to every one but generally routes such things through the International Red Cross (who again may only give relief materials, and no cash).

Malayalam media had deliberately tried to start a misinformation campaign; KL would have to pay for the rice supply which is coming from GoI. It took Ram Vilas Paswan to confirm that no such thing would be done. KL would get one month's ration (may extend to three months) free of cost. The real venomous creatures - the main stream media - in the state has now come out after the floods are over.

But does any one know how these kind of compensation business works in India context?

after the cashmere floods, the jehadi govt there demanded Rs40 lakhs as compensation for each house that was affected.

I don't think that they got anything finally even though the J&K freeloaders were very vocal about it.

Death and injury were compensated and only those cautious few who had the foresight to insure their houses got some money for repairs.

I had lightning damage to my house, electrical goods etc. Insurance premium all paid up and I was a long standing customer without any claims. The company outright denied my legitimate claims (with incontrovertible evidence) on the grounds that there were no newspaper reports of lightning strikes in my area and also I was the only one claiming it.

Had there been newspaper reports of lightning strike, the company would have claimed that it would not pay because the report had not been written by a Pulitzer prize winning gora reporter.

company==1
self==0
company -- game set and match.

not easy, dealing with an insurance company.

A pox on all their houses.

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 21 Aug 2018 21:03

Prasad wrote:
Dileep wrote:This particular time, what happened is that the southwestern monsoon was active, and a depression happened in Bay of Bengal, which 'pulled' the moist air over KL. I don't remember a depression in BoB happening in the past during SW monsoon

Now what I am scared of is another depression in Indian Ocean during the Northeastern monsoon, doing the same in opposite direction
Wouldn't that dump water on the eastern side then? Since that is the direction of the NE winds?

Yes. Being a true nationalist Dileep is worried about TN and AP coastal regions. Would be double calamity.

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 21 Aug 2018 21:13

National Disaster term is used in US. The US President has to declare national disaster in order to authorize federal aid to the state. Its all about State and Federal rights.

No such law/thing is there in India.
Also CBN's mind and son are mostly in US all the time. So he might be mistake to think US law applies to India.
Rahul Gandhi is a cretin* so no need to consider his barks.

*Fool<idiot<moron<Cretin

nvishal · Post by **nvishal** » 21 Aug 2018 21:24

Calculating relief package for kerala will take months. Once ndrf and others get back and send total bill of expenses to centre. The money to ndrf is given out of the relief package.

Relief package bifurcation for uttaranchal floods below:

Of the Rs. 7,346 crore package, Rs. 1,885 crore would be given for the Centrally Sponsored Schemes, Rs. 1,200 crore would be given to the NDRF, Rs. 3,161 crore would be spent in externally-aided projects, Rs. 1,100 crore would be given under Special Plan Assistance.

https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/ ... 444877.ece

Given the loss in kerala is extensive(farmlands and livestock gone) and the state will be non-functional for sometime, the centre has no choice but to make special arrangements, like tax exemptions specifically for kerala.

@sachin
Yes, I was reading the messages from malayalis on social media and I did wonder that whether they really anticipated reimbursement in cash. Given that socialism is alive there(TN too), vijayan might have no choice but to distribute some cash to calm down the public.