India's response to earthquake

Earthquakes come without a forewarning. Perhaps this is why more people died on Tuesday in Nepal, where a quake about a fortnight ago had killed more than 7,000. A series of quakes on Tuesday killed at least 17 Indians and injured 40. Business Standard takes a look at how the Centre and states manage such a crisis

National level

• National Crisis Management Committee (NCMC): Under the Cabinet Secretary; oversees command, control and coordination of disaster response
• Home ministry: Nodal agency in case of natural disasters; provides financial, logistic support to states
• Ministries to respond in case of disaster: Home, civil aviation, defence, environment & forests, health, information & broadcasting, power, railways, urban development, road transport & highways, Department of Telecommunication and water supply, among others

State level

• State Executive Committee (SEC): Chief secretary to instruct all state departments to respond appropriately
• Disaster management department: Department secretary to implement all decisions on behalf of the SEC

District level

• The district collector/magistrate to act as incident commander
  All the central/state departments to work in accordance with his directions

International assistance

• India will not seek international assistance, but the home and external affairs ministries will coordinate if any country offers help

Flow of information in case of an earthquake

• Sub-district magistrate/block development officer
• District emergency control room/district magistrate to all line departments
• State emergency control room/disaster management secretary to all line departments concerned
• National Emergency Control Room in home min

What to do during an earthquake

• Drop to the ground; take cover under a sturdy table or similar piece of furniture; hold onto something until the quake stops
• Stay away from glass windows, outside doors and walls, and anything that could fall
• Stay inside until the quake stops and it is safe to go outside; research has shown that most injuries occur when people inside buildings try to move to another location inside the building or try to leave
• If you are in an open space, stay there; the greatest danger exists directly outside buildings, at exits and alongside exterior walls; most earthquake-related casualties result from collapsing walls, flying glass, and falling objects

If trapped under debris

• Do not light a match
• Do not move about or kick up dust
• Cover your mouth with a handkerchief or a piece of cloth
• Tap on a pipe or wall so rescuers can locate you; use a whistle if one is available; shout only as a last resort; shouting can lead to inhalation of dust leading to choking

Sources: NDMA, MHA