Bhubaneswar: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Saturday assured the people that the State Government is ready to face any eventuality due to possible cyclone in several coastal districts by 26 May.
Reviewing the preparedness of the administration for the cyclone here, he said that every life is precious for the government and the administration will ensure a flawless preparation.
Mr.Patnaik directed the administration to take steps to protect the lives of the people and deal with possible storm surges.
“Our only principle for managing all disasters is ‘all lives are precious. So in our current situation, the most important thing is to relocate people living in low-lying areas and in vulnerable areas,” he said while directing the district magistrates and SDPs to monitor the activities personally.
He directed the Chief Secretary to monitor the storm preparedness program and provide necessary advice to the district administration.
The Chief Minister said that according to the meteorological department, winds are likely to form in the Bay of Bengal in the next two days. It is unknown at this time what he will do after leaving the post.
“Therefore, all our coastal districts and their surrounding districts are fully prepared and take all necessary precautions for heavy rains and winds,” he said.
The Chief Minister also suggested that the disaster management team of ODRAF, NDRF, Road Clearing Machines and all the necessary equipment for rescue operations be kept ready in all the places where the impact of the cyclone is likely to be severe.
“It’s important to clear the road as soon as possible after the storm,” he said and directed that additional equipment and equipment from other states to be stockpiled if necessary.
The Chief Minister suggested that special attention should be paid to oxygen supply at this time due to the coveted situation. The Chief Minister directed that special measures be taken to ensure that there is no problem in the supply of oxygen within and outside the state during the storm.
“Odisha has a special ability to manage disasters and we are facing storms every year,” he said. The situation is further complicated by the Covid epidemic. “Given the situation, the administration will be fully prepared and ensure a flawless preparation process,” he said.
The Chief Minister also said that the state government was ready to deal with the storm and that the people should not be intimidated and heed the advice of the authorities and take the necessary precautions.
Chief Secretary Suresh Chandra Mohapatra said preparatory meetings were being held regularly to deal with the storm. All concerned departments are ready for this. Shelters have been set up to relocate people. He said the team and equipment needed to restore water and electricity were ready.
Development Commission and Special Relief Commission PK Jena said in a presentation that accurate information would be received by tomorrow evening. All sorts of preparations have been made to deal with the storm.
Twenty-two NDRF teams, 66 ODRAF teams (Formations), 16 fire service teams, etc. are ready for the rescue operation. Multifaceted wind shelters and additional shelters have also been identified. Covid regulations will be followed in all transfers. The telecom and electricity departments have also been instructed to be ready for reconstruction immediately.
Districts have been advised to shift all pregnant women to hospitals,” Women & Child Development department Principal Secretary Anu Garg informed.
Principal Secretary Industries Hemant Sharma briefed on the supply of oxygen and said that adequate arrangements have been made to stock up on oxygen.
“All refilling stations have been given additional DG sets and districts have been instructed to refill all oxygen cylinders in advance,” he said adding, “Even though there is a possibility of winds, the supply of oxygen to other states will continue as before,” he said.
The District Magistrates of Balasore, Bhadrak, Kendrapara and Jagatsinghpur districts informed about their preparations at the meeting.
As many as 1,223 shelters have been identified in Balasore, 400 in Bhadrak, 40 in Kendrapara and 223 in Jagatsinghpur.
The meeting was attended by Chief Adviser to the Chief Minister R Balakrishnan, DGP Abhay, Additional Chief Secretary Health PK Mohapatra, Principal Secretary Women and Child Development Anu Garg, Fire Service DG M Akshay and Director of Regional Meteorological Department H R Biswas.
Meanwhile, as per the latest information from the India Meteorological Department (IMD), a Low pressure area has formed over east-central Bay of Bengal (BoB) today morning and it is to intensify into a cyclonic storm by May 24.
It may intensify further into Very Severe Cyclonic Storm, move north-northwestwards and cross West Bengal and adjoining North Odisha & Bangladesh coasts around the evening of May 26.
Ahead of the possible formation of the cyclonic storm, the IMD has predicted thunderstorm with lightning and heavy to very heavy rain to occur in several parts of Odisha for the next few days. It has issued Yellow Warning for several districts of Odisha till May 26.