On analysis, it is heartening to share that after 36 hours of high velocity winds touching to a speed of 260 kms per hour affecting states of Orissa and Andhra Pradesh in INDIA were managed well by the National Disaster Management Authority of India, Indian Meteorology Department and state government agencies up to a level of district collectors did work as a well kit cohesive team to save lives and property of people. It was feared that thousands of people will get killed and loose property and means of livelihood including agriculture, fisheries and live stock worth millions of rupees will be lost. It is reported by state government that 23 people have lost lives which is an believable contrast to the losses occurred during the super cyclone of 1999 in Orissa, where 10,000 lives were lost.

1.
How t
the supe
er cyclon
ne Phailin’s deadly attac
ck was n
neutraliz
zed
by the
e people
e of India
a and its
s national and lo
ocal gov
vernmen
nts?
By
Colo
onel N M V
Verma, Dir
rector Gen
neral, Sarit
tsa Founda
ation and P
Prof. Smita
a
Kadam, Executive Director S
Saritsa Fou
undation, M
Mumbai, India.
14th Octo
ober, 2013.
“PEOPL
“
LE SUF
FFER”

2.
On analysis, it is heartening to share that after 36 hours of high velocity winds touching to a
speed of 260 kms per hour affecting states of Orissa and Andhra Pradesh in INDIA were
managed well by the National Disaster Management Authority of India, Indian Meteorology
Department and state government agencies up to a level of district collectors did work as a
well kit cohesive team to save lives and property of people. It was feared that thousands of
people will get killed and loose property and means of livelihood including agriculture,
fisheries and live stock worth millions of rupees will be lost. It is reported by state
government that 23 people have lost lives which is an believable contrast to the losses
occurred during the super cyclone of 1999 in Orissa, where 10,000 lives were lost. The factors
which contributed to minimize loss of lives in such a dastardly hazard can be contributed to
following factors:‐
1. Effective Early Warning by Indian Meteorology Department and issue of warning to
state by NDMA, Government of India for strict compliance for evacuation at local
level
2. Mobilization of one million people (About 10, 00,000) for evacuation to safer shelters
in 72 hours after the warning sets an example for international community for
replication in future such emergencies. It is largest number people in INDIA who have
been evacuated in a short period of warning. How this could be possible where
people generally do not pay attention to such warnings? The important point
emerges here is that people did adhere to early warning. It is learnt that local
collectors of districts, elected members of legislature assemblies and parliament
member, elected members of village bodies led this campaign from front for timely

3. 3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
evacuation. They guided and forced people to evacuate to safer areas of pre
constructed shelters.
Resource mobilization to the vulnerable areas for rescue and relief included 29 (2500
personnel ) teams of National Disaster Response Force, two naval ships, 15 coastal
guard ships, Army Units ( 50 columns ) including 18 helicopters and two aircrafts
were on call for any emergency. 10 hospital teams were positioned to take care of
causality.
Appreciable coordination by all who were involved in this operation.
Raising awareness and imparting of education to cope with disasters at local level has
played an important role in evacuation and saving many lives.
Comprehensive modernization of weather offices of IMD with state of art automatic
weather stations, automatic rain gauges, Doppler weather radars As well as
monitoring analysis, visualization and product dissemination , besides global/regional
mesoscale fore cast models with real time data assimilation through high‐
performance data systems added to the strength of 500 scientist of IMD.
It is also important to share that capacity building initiatives by the NGO’s similar to
Saritsa Foundation and local governments with a needed education and training
including mock drills and rehearsals which were carried out time to time in these
areas regularly helped people to make them to react to such emergency even before
help reaches to them for evacuation and occupation of pre‐prepared shelters in areas
affected by the cyclone. NDMA had also taken an initiative to publish DO’s and Do
Not’s for an emergency of a cyclone in local papers a few weeks above. Such an
awareness at local level became important for timely evacuation of a million people.
This is considered one of the important lessons for replication in future.

4.
The most challenging task for the local government is reconstruction and rehabilitation. It is
estimated that it has severely affected 1, 45,000 villages of Orissa’s in 12 coastal districts.
Early estimates demonstrate that 2.34 lacks mud houses and shanties were destroyed as well
as crops in 5 lacks hectares have been destroyed and live stock killed or affected. This
humanitarian concern for relief and rehabilitation has to be taken care by all concerned in
needed way.
WE WORK TOGETHER TO EMPOWER PEOPLE ‐ PEOPLE CENTERED, PEOPLE LED
AND PEOPLE OWNED DRR AS ADVOCATED AND PRACTICE BY SARITSA
FOUNDATION ‐ A BOTTOM UPWARD MOMENTUM.
Email: saritsa@vsnl.net OR saritsafoundationindia.in@gmail.com
Website: www.saritsafoundation.org (Mozilla Firefox only)
YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/saritsafoundation
Mob: 9323157377 Tel: 91 22 24366370