Odisha’s Cyclone Preparedness Reassessed; Is The State Ready To Face The Eventuality?

Bhubaneswar: Odisha has begun preparing for potential cyclones during the upcoming two months. According to reports in the media, the meteorology department has not issued a forecast on this matter.

At the state-level cyclone preparedness meeting on Monday, SC Mahapatra, the Chief Secretary of the State, ordered the concerned officials to take all preventative measures.

In the meeting, the chief secretary stated that severe cyclonic storms frequently last into mid-December in Odisha. He claims that this time period in the state is referred to as “cyclone season.”

“Odisha usually witnesses the wrath of cyclones during the withdrawal of monsoon in October and November. Odisha’s geographical situation and climate change have also caused cyclones during the summers since 2019,” he added.

Although the circumstances are favourable for a cyclonic storm, Regional Meteorological Center director HR Biswas, who was present at the conference, reported that the IMD had not predicted any such cyclone for the next 15 days.

Additionally, the chief secretary urged all departments to maintain a state of readiness for any circumstance and make all necessary arrangements in accordance with Standard Operating Procedure (SOP).

Mohapatra requested that all necessary equipment be kept on hand and that both rural and urban tube wells be operational. Further, he instructed them to compile a list of elderly, disabled, and pregnant people so that they might be quickly identified and saved in an emergency.

He also emphasised the need for coastal residents to be made aware of the need to take protective measures for saline embankments in cyclone-prone areas. He told them to keep supplies of medications on hand as well as fully prepared ambulances and medical personnel, according to reports.

Secretaries from several departments as well as officers from the Fire Services, ODRAF, and NDRF were present at the conference for the preparation for the next “cyclone season.”

You might also like

Comments are closed.