How Odisha become a model state in handling cyclones

A look into how Odisha became a model state in handling back-to-back cyclones in the recent past

Odisha’s plan to tackle cyclone Montha

As per the IMD forecast, the Odisha government activated its plan keeping eight southern and interior districts in focus, which include Malkangiri, Koraput, Nabarangpur, Rayagada, Gajapati, Ganjam, Kandhamal and Kalahandi. The district administrations were put on high alert and asked to ensure the safety of people.

Odisha’s Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari has said the target is to ensure ‘zero casualty’, a template set by the government while handling the cyclones in the past. Based on past experiences, an evacuation plan was prepared to take around 32,000 people living in vulnerable areas to safety. Similarly, nearly 2,600 pregnant women were shifted to the nearest healthcare centres.

While schools and Anganwadi centres were shut, the leaves of government employees were cancelled. Around 160 teams of NDRF, Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force and fire services teams were deployed in the affected districts to help the administration in relief and rescue operations.

Tourists have been barred from visiting sea beaches and other popular tourist places in the affected districts.

Why is Odisha facing cyclones in October?

Odisha, with more than 480km-long coastline along the Bay of Bengal, is vulnerable to cyclones, as experts said the state was hit by about 110 cyclones between 1891 and 2020. The Bay of Bengal is prone to large storm surges, in part because of its funnel-like shape that concentrates atmospheric activity and its unique topography. Another important factor is temperature. The Bay of Bengal has generally recorded higher temperatures than the Arabian Sea.

Also, cyclonic disturbances — either in the form of a well-marked low-pressure depression or a deep depression (weather systems with varying wind intensities ranging from 31 – 61 km/hr formed either over sea or land) — are common in October. Ocean disturbances enter the Bay of Bengal from the South China Sea side and head towards the Indian coast. Generally, the IMD labels the formation of one cyclone and two cyclonic disturbances in October as normal.

Lessons from the past

Odisha had faced the deadliest super cyclone in 1999 that claimed more than 10,000 lives. The cyclone that made landfall on October 29, 1999, near Paradip caused widespread devastation in half of Odisha’s 30 districts and was considered one of the worst natural calamities in Indian history. Lack of forecast and reliable information about the storm, absence of a robust disaster mitigation plan and lack of infrastructure are some of the reasons for the colossal damage.

Odisha not just took up a gigantic restoration and rebuilding plan in the aftermath of the 1999 Super Cyclone, but also prepared a sound response plan for future cyclones. Months after the 1999 cyclone, the Odisha State Disaster Management Authority (OSDMA) was put in place as a specialised agency to coordinate disaster plans during calamities. As part of building an institutional framework, over 1,000 multi-purpose cyclone shelters were developed in various districts to take people to safety during cyclones. The Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF) was developed, a first-of-its-kind, highly-skilled, robust multi-tasked disaster responder force in the country. All modern equipment was procured to meet any kind of exigencies.

“The most important aspect of our disaster management plan is its decentralisation and involvement of communities like local elected members, volunteers, health workers and youths while carrying out activities like evacuation, shelter management and relief and early recovery actions,” said an official.

Efforts yielded results

Around 14 years after the 1999 Super Cyclone, Odisha faced another tropical cyclone — Phailin, which hit the state on October 12, 2013, with a windspeed of over 200 kmph. With its years of learning, building infrastructure and getting forecasts well in advance, the Odisha government prepared a massive evacuation plan with the target of achieving “zero casualty”. Besides the designated cyclone shelters, schools were turned into shelters where people from low-lying areas were evacuated and kept. A million people were evacuated in record time.

The focus was not just on evacuation, but a well-coordinated restoration exercise was also launched by restoring road communication within hours, ensuring water supply and alternate electricity supply to vital installations like hospitals, water supply systems and major offices.

The then Naveen Patnaik government had earned laurels from the United Nations for effective management of cyclone Phailin, saving human lives. As the state faced multiple cyclones in the past 10 years, including Fani in May 2019, a rare Category V-equivalent tropical cyclone. Though these cyclones caused massive damage to physical infrastructure, Odisha largely reduced human casualties during the recent cyclones.