Orissa: NDMA reviews disaster plan in Cyclone area

Kendrapada, Jun 20: A five-member team of National Disaster Mitigation Authority (NDMA) led by Dr M Sashidharan Reddy today reviewed the disaster plan management of Kendrapada district.

The team visited to Khurushiapata cyclone shelter in Kendrapara district to witness a mock drill on cyclone. The mock exercise was conducted to test the standard operating procedures prepared for management of cyclones.

Project coordinator of Orissa State Disaster Mitigation Authority (OSDMA) Gyana Ranjan Das who accompanied the team said the mock exercise would be taken into consideration about the vulnerability of Orissa to cyclones, cyclone season, areas prone to cyclones. The mock drill has been conducted in the 45 cyclone shelters, which included 22 Red Cross cyclone Shelters and 23 cyclone shelters of OSDMA across the district at a time under the supervision of concerned Block development Officer(BDO) of the blocks for wider impact and public awareness.

Official sources said the mock drill would help assess the Emergency Response Plan and Standard Operating Procedures of the district, highlight the roles and responsibilities of various stake-holders, enhance coordination among Emergency Support Functions (ESF), generate public awareness by involvement of local government, NGOs and community, and identify the gaps in resources in man power and communications.

The BDOs of three blocks- Rajnagar, Pattamundai and Mahakalapada in the district have been asked to submit report on mock drills conducted in their areas in order to prepare a final report based on the observation on the mock drills.

The NDMA team also visited Jagatsinghpur district, worst affected in the 1999 Super Cyclone, to witness the mock drill on cyclone.

UNI