Dikhyaa Mohanty 
Prime Minister Narendra Modi who took an aerial survey of the cyclone ravaged zones in Odisha last Friday was stunned when he later called on Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik. Modi announced Rs 500 crore as relief for taking up rehabilitation measures in the zones devastated by the Yaas cyclonic storm. Yet, Patnaik humbly denied the financial assistance, saying the Odisha government did not intend to burden the Centre when the nation was in the grip of the virulent Covid pandemic. Odisha was well equipped to fund the restoration work from its own resources.
Instead, Patnaik urged the Centre to help Odisha with long-term measures that would enable coastal states like Odisha to be more resilient to devastating natural storms. He called for installing disaster proof power infrastructure and coastal protection with storm surge resilient embankments. His response had the Prime Minister stupefied and stunned in equal measure.
“World has changed its perception about #Odisha’s ability to deal with disasters in the course of last two decades. There was a time when we evoked pity. Today, the Odisha model of disaster management draws global admiration”, the Chief Minister tweeted. He has been harping on zero casualty in dealing with natural disasters.
Odisha has earned stripes as the model state to tame natural cyclones. It has also drawn international acclaim for weathering massive cyclonic storms like Phailin (2013) and Fani (2019). At the nucleus of Odisha’s disaster management strategy is a massive evacuation drive that has saved countless lives and the timely deployment of ample disaster management personnel. So, it was no surprise when the state demonstrated the same zeal in taming a comparatively weaker cyclone Yaas this time. Yaas is the eighth major cyclone to have barreled in Odisha’s coast in the past 20 years and the fifth the state has faced over the past 30 months.
But what stood as the differentiator this time around was tackling a severe cyclone when the state was still battling a killer second wave of Covid. A cyclone was predicted to pummel the state’s northern coast near Balasore when there was an upsurge in Covid cases and people were succumbing to the lethal virus. However, the state administration did not capitulate to either of the disasters. The disaster management team went for a blanket evacuation of over seven lakh people in low-lying, vulnerable coastal villages. But then, moving them to cyclone shelters was a challenge this time as Covid protocol had to be observed. And, people could not have been huddled in large numbers in any single safe shelter.
“Amphan cyclonic storm hit Odisha when the state was in the midst of a raging pandemic. Then, we had no example to follow, so we created an example. Now, when we got information about Yaas on May 19, I spoke to collectors and impressed upon them the need to identify a large number of alternate cyclone shelters because Covid protocol has to be followed and less people have to be kept in our existing shelters. Over 9000 public buildings with toilets and water supplies were identified and we evacuated 7.1 lakh people and utilized 8410 such shelters for them. The state government supplied masks and sanitizers and medical teams were despatched to these locations”, said Special Relief Commissioner Pradeep Jena.
The other challenge to navigate during this cyclone was the spike in Covid cases as the second wave swept the state. Hospitals in the public and private sector were operating to the brim. The state machinery ensured that the doors and windows of all exclusive Covid hospitals were fortified. Stocks of medicines, vaccines, medical equipment and other consumables were replenished before the cyclonic storm could wreak havoc. Medical teams were deployed in the waterlogged areas and those regions which were projected to be worst hit by the summer storm. This was an unusual cyclone as flooding followed. Usually, floods occur in the aftermath of a monsoon cyclone. But this was an outlier. The Simlipal biosphere was flooded. Two river systems in the state had touched danger level. It was a tough ask for the state to tackle the deluge and ensure food and medicine supplies to the affected. But officials and the teams engaged in disaster management and relief operations rose to the occasion and continued their work doggedly without getting fazed by the natural cataclysms. Logistics of liquid medical oxygen both within the state and beyond continued unhindered even during the peak of the cyclone fury.
Indeed, Odisha has come a long way since the super cyclone struck the coast in 1999. Then, there was no preparedness. No early warning systems meant the state could not shift the vulnerable to safer shelters. On the official count, around 10,000 lives were lost to the 1999 super cyclone. Odisha learnt its lessons the hard way. Today, it is setting new paradigms to manage disasters with resilience.
