Standing up to Fani

Odisha did a sterling job in disaster management

On October 29, 1999, Odisha went out of contact with the rest of the world for an entire day because of Super Cyclone, which killed nearly 10,000 people. It ranks among the worst natural disasters in the country and a hapless state government only watched as the cyclone ripped its coast. The state was also found wanting on post-cyclone relief measures and there were riots as people starved. Two decades later, all that is distant memory. When Cyclone Fani wreaked havoc in at least 12 districts, bringing life to a standstill in half the coastal state on Friday, the Odisha government was equal to the humungous task. Though it is tragic that 34 people have reportedly died so far, the number should be seen in context. After all, Fani is probably the most extreme weather event to hit the Indian coast in the last 20 years as the cyclone lashed the state with maximum wind speeds of up to 175 km per hour.

The Odisha government deserves compliments for learning the right lessons from Super Cyclone and the remarkable progress it has made in disaster management. It moved fast and set up the Odisha Disaster Management Authority (ODMA), which was the first such body to be set up in India. More importantly, it made sure that the Authority was run independently by competent officials, who ensured a proper risk reduction system was in place and included preparedness activities by families, communities, government bodies and NGOs. The results are visible: In 1999, the state had 21 cyclone shelters; today it has nearly 900. Over the past few days, as the cyclone barreled up the Bay of Bengal towards India, the Odisha government evacuated a million people to higher ground and cyclone shelters. The state also ensured that probable flood inundation villages were identified, rapid response teams were formed, and aircraft and navy ships were kept on standby to aid rescue efforts. The disaster management authority has also trained enthusiastic youth volunteers for relief work who were at the forefront of alerting locals and getting cooperation from civilians on risk mitigation. Of course, the India Meteorological Department too deserves credit for accurate updates about the cyclone path.

While the worst is over, real work begins now. The cyclone has left in its trail vast damages: Thousands of people are feared to have been rendered homeless, and road, power and telecom infrastructure has been destroyed in vast areas, hampering relief work. In 2013, Cyclone Phailin required reconstruction estimated at $1.5 billion, and it is obvious Odisha would need help from the Central government and others. The affected people will need financial relief, compensation for lost crops, trees and livestock, provision of emergency health intervention, and rehabilitation assistance to rebuild lives. Also, despite the Odisha government’s phenomenal work, there is obviously no room for complacency. With extreme weather phenomena increasing due to climate change, there is a need to improve disaster management capacities in many states. The way ahead is to set up an elaborate institutional mechanism by which funding for damaged infrastructure and buildings is readily available. There is also a lot to be done to upgrade infrastructure and housing in coastal districts to meet higher standards of resilience in an era of extreme weather events.