A swift response from GDC medical and security team helped to save some lives when the Patel Dam in Nakuru collapsed last week. The GDC crew was the first responder to the scene soon after receiving distress calls from Energy Village residents.
“I was in the office in Menengai when a call came in at around 9 O’clock. It was about the tragedy. I quickly sought clearance from my seniors, which was granted and off we hit the road to Solai,” recalls Ms. Lucy Kiplamai a Clinical Officer at the Menengai Geothermal Project.
Tragedy.
GDC dispatched two ambulances complete with a security backup. The team of five worked for seven straight hours from 10:00 pm to 4:00 am. They rescued people, administered first aid and rushed others to hospitals.
“We arrived to a complex ground. The scene was chaotic,” recalls Ms. Kiplamai who was also the team leader during the operation. “People screamed others shouted for help… roads were covered with water, mud, tree trunks and boulders. But we were determined to save lives,” she says.
Ms. Kiplamai is a veteran in disaster response. She handled the 2007 post-election violence and the Sachangwan fire tragedy on Nakuru-Eldoret Highway. Her counterpart Ms. Dorcas Wankuru, an Emergency Medical Technician based in Menengai, had handled rescue operations of collapsed building.
“In a rescue operation you cannot save everyone but always you have to stretch beyond your limits,” noted Ms. Wankuru. “I’m grateful that amid the challenges we saved some lives,” said Wankuru. “That is what rapid responses means. You must be ever alert.”
And this gesture of compassion and bravery did not go unnoticed. Central Rift Regional Manager Mr. Paul Ngugi hosted the crew at his office and congratulated them for the gesture of selflessness and service to humanity.
“As a company we are very proud of you. You went out of normal duty to rescue lives. That’s commendable. Such is the strong spirit that GDC embodies,” said Mr. Ngugi.
