DNA Edit: Coming of age – Odisha shows the way to tackle a cyclone

Cynics, who perpetually decry any government effort, need to know how Odisha, in alliance with the Centre, has tackled Cyclone Fani. For once, a state government has learnt from past errors to thwart the might of a deadly cyclone. It was as if all its arms performed to perfection. There is no surprise that the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction has applauded the country’s meteorological department for providing pinpoint information that helped authorities to minimise loss of life. 

Much before the arrival of the scourge, specialists had pinpointed the time of its arrival and extensive precautionary measures were in place to thwart any major casualty. And in this, the Odisha government needs to be commended for warning people —particularly the poor — of what was coming. They literally deployed everything they had: 2.6 million text messages, 43,000 volunteers, nearly 1,000 emergency workers, television commercials, coastal sirens, buses, police officers and public address systems asking people to reach for the nearest shelters. Last Thursday, Odisha government officials released a five-page action plan. They seemed to have left nothing uncovered. All emergency personnel were ordered to district operation centres. 

Government workers drafted lists of people in vulnerable houses, particularly the elderly and children. Tourists at coastal hotels were advised to leave and all available equipment was readied to deal with the storm’s aftermath, including 300 power boats, two helicopters and many chain saws, to cut downed trees. At the same time, truckloads of food and bottled water were delivered to the shelters. A similar disaster in 1999 had claimed thousands of lives and since then, hundreds of cyclone shelters were constructed a few miles from the seashore. Ultimately, that is what has paid.