Page 4 - Disaster Management

Boat capsizes in Jhelum River, Srinagar: Six drowned, several missing

Adverse weather conditions, heightened by heavy rains over the past few days, caused landslides in the region, complicating rescue efforts

UN praises Odisha govt's disaster management, food security, millet mission

UN resident coordinator in India Shombi Sharp has commended the Odisha government's initiatives in disaster management, food security, 5T governance, Human Development Indicators (HDI) indicators, and the Millet Mission during a meeting with Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik at Naveen Niwas here. Sharp, visiting Odisha, discussed the state's development trajectory and its collaboration with UN agencies, noting their fruitful partnership. He lauded Odisha's progress in enhancing HDI indicators and its disaster management efforts, particularly under Patnaik's leadership, which prioritised community-led systems following the Super Cyclone in 1999. Sharp highlighted Odisha's recognition as a leading state in disaster management, citing international accolades for its handling of Cyclone Phailin and Cyclone Fani. "Today, Odisha is recognised as a leading state in managing disasters. The UN felicitated Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik in 2013 for handling the Cyclone Phailin in 2019 with the Ne

5 dead, over 100 injured in Jalpaiguri cyclone; WB CM Mamata meets victims

Four people died and over 100 were injured as a sudden storm wreaked havoc in parts of Jalpaiguri district in northern West Bengal on Sunday, officials said. Several hutments and houses were damaged, trees uprooted and electric poles came crashing down as strong winds accompanied by hail struck most parts of the district headquarters town and many areas of neighbouring Mainaguri, they said. Among the most affected areas were Rajarhat, Barnish, Bakali, Jorpakdi, Madhabdanga and Saptibari, the officials said, adding that several acres of agricultural land and crops suffered damages. Prime Minister Narendra Modi condoled the loss of lives in the storm, and said he had spoken with officials and asked them to ensure proper assistance to those affected by it. "My thoughts are with those affected by the storms in Jalpaiguri-Mainaguri areas of West Bengal. Condolences to those who have lost their loved ones," Modi said on X. "I would also urge all @BJP4Bengal Karyakartas to assist those .

Kolkata building collapse leaves 5 dead, CM Mamata assures stern action

At least 10 people were rescued after an under-construction building collapsed here late on Sunday night, officials said. The five-storey building collapsed in Hazari Mollah Bagan in the Garden Reach area. A search operation is underway to find survivors who may be trapped under the rubble, they said. "An under-construction building collapsed in the Garden Reach area late on Sunday night. We have rescued a few people. The recuse operation is still going on," a police official said. Ambulances were stationed at the spot. In a post on X, Leader of Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly Suvendu Adhikari said, "I urge @chief_west, Secretary @HomeBengal, @CPKolkata to immediately involve West Bengal State Disaster Management Team for immediate Rescue & Relief." "I am receiving frantic calls regarding probable casualties. Please dispatch any team which can help in rescuing the victims, be it Fire Servicemen, Police or any other team," he said. Adhikari also shared pictures from the ...

Govt developed early disaster warning systems, saved many lives: Amit Shah

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has introduced a multi-dimensional disaster management plan and under this vision, the government raised prompt response forces and developed early warning systems that helped save millions of lives, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said on Monday. Shah also said that to build a disaster-resilient country, the prime minister has adopted a zero-casualty approach in India's response to calamities and the disaster response teams now operate as fully professional forces driven by the goal of securing every life. "PM @narendramodi Ji introduced a multi-dimensional Disaster Management Plan. Under this vision, the Modi govt raised prompt response forces and developed vigilant early warning systems leading to saving millions of lives," he posted on 'X' with the hashtag "Disaster Resilient Bharat". The home minister said that powered by the visionary leadership of Modi, the country today can tackle any disaster and due to the government's 'Mission Zero Casualty', ev

Colombia declares disaster over wildfires, asks for international help

Colombia's government declared a disaster on Thursday and asked for international help to combat raging wildfires that are expected to worsen in coming days due to warm, dry conditions associated with the El Nio weather phenomenon. Officials raised the number of fires from 25 to 31, and said nine of them were under control. They did not order mandatory evacuations despite some fires burning in the mountains that surround some municipalities. President Gustavo Petro said Chile, the United States, Peru and Canada have already responded to the call for help, without specifying when the assistance will arrive to the South American country. The government also asked for aid from the United Nations and European Union. To the extent that we know that in the coming days and weeks crisis events are going to increase, we want to make sure that we have the physical capacity to address and mitigate them, Petro said. Colombia's Institute of Hydrology, Meteorology and Environmental Studies repo

Landslide traps 47 people in southwest China, more than 500 evacuated

At least 47 people were buried in a landslide that struck southwest China's Yunnan province on Monday morning, forcing the evacuation of 500 others in the region. The disaster struck the Liangshui village of Zhaotong city at 5:51 am Beijing time, the state-run Xinhua news agency reported. Efforts were ongoing to rescue the people trapped under the landslide, official media reported. Over 500 residents were evacuated from the landslide-hit areas as the provincial commission for disaster reduction activated a Level-III emergency response for disaster relief, state-run CCTV reported. More than 200 rescuers, along with 33 firefighting vehicles and 10 loading machines, were mobilised to search for the missing. The buried villagers were from 18 households, rescue officials said. There were no immediate reports of deaths or injuries. The cause of the landslide was not immediately known. Local weather forecast said there will be light snow in the town on Tuesday, with the lowest tempera

India offers 7 helicopters to Philippine Coast Guard for rescue operations

"The discussion is going on very well. The Coast Guard is very interested - they've flown the helicopter...," Kumaran told President Marcos

Odisha's turnaround in disaster management has lessons for the world

Battered by the 1999 Super Cyclone, Odisha invested in communities, infrastructure, and a stellar institution to lead from the front in building resilience

CM Sukhu distributes Rs 8.97 cr compensation to disaster-affected families

He provided Rs 3 lakh each as the first instalment to 94 affected families whose houses were completely damaged during the disaster in the district of Bilaspur

Sukhu releases Rs 9.72 cr to 324 affected families for house construction

Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Saturday released the first instalment of Rs 9.72 crore as special relief to 324 affected families in Kullu district for construction of houses. The state government provided the aid under its rehabilitation initiative 'Punrvaas' to families whose houses were completely damaged in rain-related disasters during the June 24 to September 30 period, a statement issued here said. An amount of Rs 3 lakh each was released to the 324 affected families through the direct benefit transfer method, it said. The Himachal government has announced a special relief package of Rs 4,500 crore for people affected by rain-related disasters during the monsoon season. He said over 75,000 stranded tourists were evacuated safely during the monsoon season. The state suffered a loss of more than Rs 12,000 crore and about 16,000 houses were damaged, out of which 13,000 were completely destroyed, Sukhu said. A third team of the central government has

International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction 2023: All details inside

International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction is marked on October 13 yearly. The day gives a valuable chance to address the progress made in the field of reducing natural disasters

Killari quake management can help India face any natural disaster: Pawar

The administrative system to face any natural disaster in the country with confidence stemmed from the effective disaster management during the 1993 Killari earthquake in Maharashtra, NCP chief Sharad Pawar, who helmed the state at that time, said. He was speaking at a gratitude ceremony organised by an organisation of the earthquake survivors in Killari village of Latur district marking the 30th anniversary of the disaster on Saturday. A temblor of 6.2-6.3 magnitude struck several villages in Latur and Osmanabad districts in the wee hours of September 30, 1993, killing approximately 10,000 people and injuring 30,000. "Currently, India can face any kind of disaster confidently as the country has an effective administrative system in place which originated from the Killari earthquake. The country learned the lesson of disaster management from this massive disaster," said Pawar. He said the UN and the World Bank had taken cognizance of this management. "We gained experience from the

Google's Android earthquake alert system: What it is, how it works and more

Deployed in many countries around the world before bringing it to India, the system is designed to provide people with an early warning when earthquake shaking begins

Delhi CM approves Rs 10-crore contribution to Himachal disaster relief fund

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has approved a Rs 10-crore contribution to the Himachal Pradesh government's disaster relief fund to aid its rehabilitation and relief efforts following the devastation caused recent heavy rains in the hill state, officials said on Friday. The file in this regard will now be sent to Delhi Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena for his approval. The donation of Rs 10 crore is from the Chief Minister's Relief Fund. "The Delhi government, under the direction of Chief Minister Kejriwal, will contribute a substantial sum of Rs 10 crore to the Himachal Pradesh Government's Aapda Rahat Kosh 2023. This contribution is aimed at aiding the state in its efforts to recover from the devastating recent floods that have left a trail of destruction in their wake," a government official said. This contribution is in response to a letter written by Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu to his Delhi counterpart. In his letter, Sukhu said that incessant ra

Earthquake-struck Morocco to spend nearly $12 billion on recovery

Funding for the reconstruction will come from the government budget, local authorities, donations, international aid and a special fund for the management of earthquake's effects

NDMA tests pan-India 'emergency alert system' for disaster management

The sample testing message, sent through the Cell Broadcasting System, was timestamped at 12:19 pm on September 15

Himachal to provide rented accommodation for families in relief camps

Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Monday said that the state government would provide rented accommodation

Uttarakhand govt to conduct comprehensive survey of disaster-prone cities

Uttarakhand government will conduct a comprehensive survey of disaster-prone cities and towns, tenders for which have been invited, officials said. Director of Uttarakhand Landslide Mitigation and Management Centre Shantanu Sarkar said tenders will be verified after monsoon and work on the survey could take time. Right now we have started the process which is at the planning stage. We have not yet decided which cities or towns will be included in this, Sarkar said. Geophysical and geo-mapping investigation of cities will be part of the survey, he said. In January this year, the land subsidence crisis in Joshimath grabbed national attention. Huge cracks had appeared in many houses, fields and roads making the town unsafe to live in, and a large number of people had to be moved to safer places. The state government also got various national level technical institutes to investigate various aspects of the Joshimath subsidence. It also asked experts to ascertain whether the 520 MW Tapo

Delhi's plan to reduce heat impact in three phases: No schools in afternoon

Delhi will alter school timings, suspend non-essential water use, provide uninterrupted power supply to health facilities and survey vulnerable locations daily to mitigate the impact of extreme heat on susceptible populations in peak summers, according to the city's new heat action plan. The Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA), which prepared the plan and submitted it to the Centre last month, also plans a pilot project to paint roofs in identified areas with white colour to help keep the indoors cooler. The nodal officer, who will be responsible for the implementation of the heat action plan (HAP), is still to be appointed, a DDMA official told PTI. Delhi is one of the hottest cities in India and ranks among the most susceptible to heat waves due to its large population and a significant concentration of lower-income groups. Heat waves are becoming more intense and frequent due to climate change. India reported 706 heatwave incidents from 1971-2019 which claimed more than