New Delhi: The Cyclone Phailin is now behind us. The deadly cyclone, which created a national panic, seems to have failed to leave behind a trail of massive death and destruction. The people are heaving a sigh of relief and the life is slowly returning to normal across the coastal districts of Odisha and Andhra Pradesh.
The government's response to the cyclone has been really good. Even though the hundreds of villages and towns have been damaged by the cyclone, there has been no major loss of life, except a dozen people who died.
First, the Met department got it right. It predicted the cyclone Phailin well in advance allowing the government to start a massive evacuation of people from the villages and towns close to the sea. The Indian Meteorology Department (IMD) constantly monitored the approaching cyclone and came out with 100 per cent correct predictions. It has also helped to create an awareness among the people.
The Odisha state government headed by the Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik mobilized all available resources to evacuate the people in one of the biggest evacuation operations in the world. Even the people, who refused to leave their villagers, were forcibly taken away by the local administration, which finally saved their lives.
A relieved Odisha Chief Minister spoke to CNN-IBN's Karan Thapar and said, "It is a huge, huge relief. Damage has been minimal. We are now clearing the roads. Train services will also resume."
The Odisha Chief Minister himself has been closely monitoring the relief work. District administration of Ganjam, Brahmapur, Puri, Kendrapara and neighbouring areas have done a commendable job by averting a massive tragedy. The district collectors led the evacuation operation and arranged temporary shelters in a record time. The use of media to alert the people was also very effective.
In neighbouring Andhra Pradesh, which is facing the Telangana heat, the evacuation operation was foolproof. Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy had ensured that the agitating government officials would return to work to handle the evacuation. He also mobilized all available resources to handle any eventuality.
Reddy said, "We had made elaborate arrangements to avert the loss of life. The entire government worked tirelessly to prevent the tragedy. We are happy that the cyclone is over for us."
The Centre also guided and assisted both the states in carrying out a massive evacuation operation. The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) constantly monitored the advance of cyclone Phailin and sent thousands of rescue and relief workers to help the state governments.
The Cabinet Secretariat led by the Cabinet Secretary Ajit Seth coordinated the operations with the concerned ministries like Home, Defence, Telecom, Highways, Petroleum, Railways, Aviation, Shipping and Environment.
The Control rooms at the Cabinet Secretariat, Home Ministry, Defence operations rooms and the Railways had a proper coordination. The Railways did a good job by suspending trains near the coast hours before the Cyclone hit. Even the National Highway was also shut at most places reducing the traffic.
However the heavy rainfall which is still battering Odisha is causing a big concern. It is likely to inundate agricultural land and villages, damaging the standing crops and houses.
Severe rain is still battering Odisha coast and the people at relief and evacuation centres won't be able to return home immediately.
Most agree that government and other aid agencies are coping as effectively as feasible with immediate demands for shelter, food, water and medical care, along with road clearing and public services restoration operations.
For a change, the government has done something truly commendable!
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Google crisis map: Cyclone Phailin
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