The Indian Army and the Indian Air Force mounted joint flood-relief operations across Punjab, Jammu, and parts of Himachal Pradesh from August 16–17, flying over twenty aircraft for more than 250 hours and rescuing over 5,000 civilians along with 300 paramilitary personnel, while delivering about 21 tonnes of food, medicines, and essentials to cut-off villages, officials said on August 31–September 1 at Western Command HQ in Chandimandir, Panchkula. The mission drew on 47 Army columns with engineers, medical and communication teams working with civil administration, NDRF and SDRF, as both Army Aviation and IAF helicopters—Mi-17s and a Chinook—conducted continuous sorties, complemented by C-130 transports moving specialised NDRF teams. Army engineers restored connectivity by laying two kilometres of optical fibre and building a Bailey bridge over the Tawi in Jammu within hours, while IAF assets executed over 55 sorties since August 27 in sectors including Dera Baba Nanak, Pathankot and Akhnoor, enabling targeted rescues and supply drops amid high water levels