Simulation Game: Crisis Management-Chapter 326 - 160: Water Rescue and Search

"The onshore commanders are composed of the ministers from the state emergency response command center, primarily responsible for providing site information, action plan suggestions, real-time coordination and communication with military logistics forces, medical rescue, and the central crisis management committee. The assembly commander is Director-General Pradan, who is responsible for the on-site command during the formation’s navigation, search and rescue, and return, and will report rescue progress to the onshore commanders in real-time, adjusting rescue details promptly."

"Finally, there are the boat commanders, who can divide the formation into several small teams or assign tasks to each inflatable rescue boat, mainly leading their team or individual boat to complete the search and rescue, coordination, and emergency handling tasks designated by the formation commander. This way, it doesn’t delay rescue time and provides a wealth of command experience to the front lines of the rescue."

Anurag’s eyes suddenly lit up upon hearing this.

Pradan also took a sharp breath, staring at Gu Ji’s face with a somewhat astonished expression.

Gu Ji’s plan effectively added an additional layer between the expert command group and the boat unit.

It seems more complicated, but actually resolves many pain points.

Because although their expert command group has a wealth of disaster handling experience, it lacks sufficient understanding of the disaster site environment in Assam, and the formulation of many plans requires coordination with the state emergency response command center. This back and forth not only slows down decision-making speed but can also easily lead to chaos.

This onshore commander plays a crucial role in connecting the upper and lower levels, making the entire rescue process smoother.

Don’t think that adding such a simple part is trivial; it requires strong professional rescue skills and experience to support it, especially in the current urgent situation, where it’s difficult for an average person to calm down and think.

Yet Gu Ji came up with this ingenious solution almost without thinking.

Fatima, already aware of his watercraft rescue skills during the train journey, wasn’t surprised, especially given Gu Ji’s display of numerous special talents along the way. Even if he claimed to be the embodiment of Shiva now, she wouldn’t be shocked.

Soon, the "three-level command structure" plan received unanimous approval from the state government officials and the expert command group, and it was even reported to the central crisis management committee. After all, which of these high-ranking officials in the state government wouldn’t want to make a name for themselves in rescue operations? They don’t have to risk going to the front lines, just talk.

Gu Ji, being the main proposer of the plan and displaying highly professional rescue abilities, was specially assigned by Pradan to the boat unit as the commander of the 14th detachment, overseeing 27 inflatable boats.

After Gu Ji and Fatima changed into water rescue gear, they came to the boat unit to pick up their team members.

Among them was an Indian guy with a square face named Singer.

Unexpectedly, within a mere ten minutes, Gu Ji, who was in a rescue state just moments ago, suddenly became their "leader."

Gu Ji glanced at the team members, quickly formulating a formation plan in his mind aided by the knowledge gained from his expertise in fast-flowing floodwaters:

"Since the onshore command center is not yet formed and specific plan orders from the expert command group haven’t been issued, I’ll provisionally decide the formation for our 14th group. We will adopt a ’3+9’ model, dividing the 27 inflatable rescue boats into nine groups, each consisting of three inflatable boats with nine team members, three per boat, and a leader for each group, understand?"

"Yes, understood..."

The group responded one after another, with Singer’s voice being the loudest.

Fatima murmured softly aside:

"Vidi, it seems these people aren’t quite following your arrangement."

"No worries, they’ll naturally understand once we’re in the field."

Gu Ji wasn’t concerned, considering these people as elites from the police and fire departments of various states, able to join the national disaster relief forces, unlike Pradan who understood his capabilities, it was normal for them not to regard him highly.

"Phew—!"

At this moment, a sharp whistle blew, signaling the official commencement of the unit’s operations.

Following the command of their respective commanders, everyone got into groups, braving the heavy rain to board the transport trucks, racing to the equipment storage points, pushing inflatable boats and outboard engines into the floodwaters with a quick stride.

Over a thousand rescuers moving simultaneously presented a spectacular scene.

As they moved deeper, reaching a certain water depth, the team scattered and boarded the boats, starting the engines. Amidst the roaring sound of combustion engines, hundreds of orange reflective rescue boats were drawing triangular wakes through the floodwaters, heading northward towards the banks of the Brahmaputra River.

"Three boats to a group! The floodwaters are fast, follow the collision avoidance rules. The distance between boats should be at least 10m when sailing in formation to prevent collisions or overturning due to the waves!"

Gu Ji shouted to his unit’s rescuers through a waterproof loudspeaker issued by logistics.

The choice of this formation, the three inflatable boat mode, was deemed as most suitable for the current crisis based on the water risk level. The "3+9" scheme was ideal for high-risk water zones featuring roller dams and boil lines like downstream falls, feasible for disaster reconnaissance, evacuations, and high-level rescue tasks for stranded victims.

The flood extending from a region not far from the riverbank paired with ample power supplied to the inflatable boats made the boat unit enter the flood center in approximately fifteen minutes. The rapid torrents roared, like a herd of terrified mustangs charging from the northeast, unstoppable.

The trees around were bent and swayed by the wind, turning the entire field of woods into a waterlogged land. Using the crowns of nearby trees as a reference, Gu Ji estimated the current water level to be about five meters high, not even reaching the riverbank!

Gradually, he spotted the state government rescue teams retreating from the front.

From the communication exchange between explorers, he learned that the villages and towns around Gauhati were completely submerged, with only a few high-standing buildings barely holding on. Fortunately, during the initial evacuations, the first batch focused on evacuating high-risk residents near the banks, thus avoiding major casualties.

Currently, the stranded victims are primarily concentrated in towns near river basins such as Dispur, with water levels rising to approximately seven to eight meters.

About five minutes later.

Gu Ji finally spotted shadows of the town through binoculars, or rather, it could no longer be called a town, as the rooftops of the once small buildings had turned into small "islands" packed with masses of victims huddled under large waterproof tarps, with some simply using basins, their faces a mix of horror and unease against the roaring rain.

These people, like the trapped train passengers, were in despair, helplessly watching the water levels rise and swallow up their living spaces, unable to do anything.

"Fast current ahead, everyone watch out! I’m about to assign tasks..."

Just then, the onshore commanders officially formed, and following communication with the expert group, they finally devised specific rescue plans which Pradan began distributing one by one.

The tasks are mainly divided into three types:

First, evacuation and transfer of individuals affected or potentially affected by rising water;

Second, search and rescue for those missing due to drowning or water entrapment;

Third, rescue those trapped by secondary disasters such as flash floods, mudslides, and building collapses.

Task difficulty is organized in sequence, from low to high.

Most units were assigned with the first task, simply transferring victims stranded on rooftops to safety away from the flood, ensuring no one falls into the water in the process.

Perhaps impressed by Gu Ji’s previous demonstration of rescue expertise, Pradan assigned him a task that was neither too challenging nor too easy — task two.

Compared to the former,

his task required searching relatively "hidden" spots for people, detaching from the main unit, often involving certain unknown risks like diving into water, with potential dangers of building collapses or undercurrents leading to entrapment and risk of capsizing during the search.

The truly toughest task, though, was led by Pradan himself, task three, which involved rescuing people in mudslides and landslides — akin to having one’s head in one’s trousers.

Worth noting,

Pradan specifically named two people in the search and rescue task assigned to him:

The Chief Minister and the Water Resources Minister!