Photo Courtesy: nagalandpost
Kohima: The Indian Air Force resumed humanitarian sorties on Monday after weather cleared. Two helicopters departed Dimapur Airport at 9:42 am. They successfully evacuated 107 stranded passengers, including patients, students, and civilians. The mission also delivered 4.65 metric tonnes of essential supplies to Namsang in Longleng district.
Operations were suspended on July 26 due to poor weather. The mission proved grueling. During the first sortie, crews transported 1.85 and 1.30 metric tonnes of relief material while evacuating 48 passengers in two groups. A second sortie delivered 1.50 metric tonnes of supplies. One chopper even transported 17 passengers from Dimapur back to Longleng to reach families.
Landslides have fractured the region. The Longleng-Tuensang road is barely open for single-lane light vehicles. Multiple other routes, including the Longleng-Changtongya and Tamlu-Namsang roads, remain blocked. Agencies are working to clear the debris.
The destruction inside town limits is mounting. In Longleng, five families in Shamkang Ward and three in High School Ward fled as the ground gave way. Two homes were washed away completely. One home is now a dangerous husk of structural cracks.
Disaster officials are stretched thin. In Mon, the DDMA aided 360 families in town and 200 more in Naginimora. A medical camp opened on July 26 to treat the fallout. Government Middle School, Mon Town D and Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya in Wakching both sustained extensive damage. The bridge linking Tobu and Longleng is also wrecked.
Tuensang faces a slow-motion catastrophe. Land subsidence near the District Transport Office is moving at a rate of 6-8 inches per day. The authority stated, "Two unsafe buildings have already been dismantled, while the demolition of the District Transport Office has been underway as a precautionary measure."
Mokokchung remains isolated. The NH-02 route via Tuli is wrecked. Authorities now rely on NH-702D via Mariani for supplies. A relief camp in Tuli Town Hall houses 19 people. Officials have deployed mobile medical units and six SDRF personnel to manage the crisis.
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