Bhubaneswar: As the cyclone ‘Dana’ is approaching the coasts in the form of a severe cyclonic storm, Odisha government has prepared a roadmap to ensure zero causality.
The government has planned to evacuate 10 lakh people to safe places. The evacuation process has started in several districts, and will be completed by Tomorrow evening, Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari said.
Five NDRF teams are coming to Odisha by helicopter from Bhatinda, Punjab tonight. Now 51 ODRAF teams, 178 fire brigade teams, 20 NDRF teams have been deployed in 14 districts to be affected by Cyclone ‘Dana’.
In view of the cyclone, 14 districts like Angul, Puri, Nayagarh, Khurda, Cuttack, Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapara, Jajpur, Bhadrak, Balasore, Keonjhar, Dhenkanal, Ganjam and Mayurbhanj have been put high alert and the State government has ordered the district administration to take necessary measures to deal with the storm.
Measures Taken By The Government To Deal With The Cyclone
- Districts have been asked to identify vulnerable slums and populations at risk and evacuate them to safe places if required.
- An action plan has been prepared for the deployment of NDRF, ODRF and fire services.
- 51 ODRAF teams have been deployed in sensitive districts.
- Out of 178 fire service teams 40 fire service teams have been deployed in sensitive areas.
- 20 NDRF teams have been mobilised (19 active, 1 reserve).
- 5 NDRF teams from Bhatinda will reach Bhubaneswar by 10 pm tonight.
- District Magistrates will make accommodation arrangements for the deployed NDRF team.
- Multipurpose storm shelters/multipurpose flood shelters and other safe buildings have been identified to provide shelter to vulnerable people. Necessary arrangements have been made to provide food, drinking water, light, sanitation and health facilities to relocate people to such shelters.
- On October 20, the Chief Secretary had held a meeting with the respective district Collectors, and the secretaries of the respective departments and directed to ensure advance preparations in the fields of energy, health, fisheries and livestock, drinking water, food supply, agriculture and other sectors.
- Necessary advance arrangements have been made by the engineering department to clear roads and traffic after thecyclone.
- All the fishing boats have been safely brought back by 11 am today on October and it has been ensured that no fishing boats will enter the sea till October 26
- Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India has been requested to provide one helicopter to be used in relief and rescue operations.
- Schools, colleges, universities and Anganwadi centres in 14 districts will remain closed from October 23 to 25 in view of the cyclone.
- Senior officers have been deployed in districts on high alert for overall supervision and rescue operations.
- Three port authorities Gopalpur, Paradip and Dhamra have been instructed to issue precautionary information.
- The concerned district administrations have been directed to ensure timely evacuation as per the government guidelines.
- It is requested to fill overhead water tanks in private and government buildings.
- As a precautionary measure, hoardings have been ordered to be removed, especially in coastal districts.
- More than 6,000 multipurpose storm/flood shelters have been prepared by the government.
- More than 3,000 sensitive areas have been identified for evacuation of people.
- More than 10 lakh people will be shifted to safer places.
- More than 8,000 pregnant women have been identified, to be transferred to the health centres for safe delivery.
- More than 700,000 electrical gangmen have been deployed to restore electricity connections after the storm.
- More than 5000 polythene packets have been kept in stock to provide to the affected families.
