Odisha Has The Political Commitment To Build A Robust Disaster Management Authority: UNDRR

Bhubaneswar: With Odisha successfully managing Cyclone Yass and fulfilling the commitment made for zero causality, the UN agency United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction has praised the efforts of the State Government and said all should learn from Odisha’s disaster risk governance.

In an interview to the national daily Times Of India, the UNDRR Chief Mami Mizutori said that “Since Chief Minister Patnaik was first elected, he has provided the political commitment necessary to build up a robust and well-resourced disaster management authority. In 1999, some 10,000 people died on the Odisha coastline and that has never been repeated thanks to the early warning systems and effective evacuation procedures that have been put in place”.

She also said that “the lessons to be learnt from Odisha’s example are the importance of strengthening disaster risk governance, investing in preparedness and scenario planning while spreading a greater understanding of disaster risk amongst the public”.

Referring to the management of the covid-19 pandemic in the state, Mami Mizutori said “From its early declaration of a state of emergency in March last year in response to COVID-19, it appears as though that culture of risk reduction has taken root and is paying dividends now in the state’s level of preparedness for the second wave and relatively lower proportion of deaths.”
She also appreciated the State Government’s emphasis on recruitment of DRR staff and on their training, inculcating in them a culture of service with empathy.

“When Odisha State Disaster Management Authority hires DRR staff, the job descriptions emphasize the importance of implementing the Sendai Framework and raising public awareness and understanding of disaster risk,” she said.