New Delhi: In the wake of reported various natural disasters occur across the country, especially the cyclones and earthquake, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (I&B) has set to come up with a new Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) on crisis communication.
Sources told the Millennium Post that the ministry is seriously considering for a brainstorming session with both the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and the telecom companies for seeking their co-operation and views in the new initiative.
"The new Secretary in the ministry NK Sinha has asked the officials for their suggestions and it is in the preliminary stage," it mentioned.
The government will seek NDRF's participation in terms of segregating of the vulnerable areas or disaster prone areas, e.g. sensitized to flood or cyclone or landslide. But, categorically the ministry is focusing on the sea shore areas, sources mentioned.
Meanwhile, the function of SOP would be to locate the affected areas during a natural disaster and to locate the local mobile towers. The government will also talk to the telecommunication companies as the local tower can send SMS alert to its users regarding the weather update.
From 'severe' to 'very severe', around six cyclones hit the coastal states of India in various times which claimed hundreds of lives. Starting from Cyclone Laila—the first cyclonic storm to affect southeastern India since the 1990 in Andhra Pradesh, entered along the coast of the Bay of Bengal. Total deaths in Sri Lanka, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu touched 65 and cost of damage reached a total of USD 117.49 million. Fishermen, who set out in about a 100 boats, were lost at sea, according to Fisheries department sources.
Cyclone Jal formed in the Pacific Ocean on October 31, 2010 and 70,000 people were evacuated from villages of Andhra Pradesh. Cyclone Phailin hit Andhra Pradesh and resulted in the evacuation of 64,000 people from low-lying areas in 2013. A total of 134,426 people were eventually evacuated. Power and communication lines went down across the district. With one casualty, the damage amounted to USD 8.1 million in the state alone.
Cyclone Hudhud originated from Bay of Bengal in October 2014 from the Andaman Islands and snowballed into a category IV cyclone, being dubbed as 'Extremely Severe.' It proceeded to hit the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha. The estimated damages were approximated to a total of USD 3.4 billion. Death toll due to the cyclone hit 124.
However, Cyclone Nada seemed to fizzle out with its landfall in Tamil Nadu. Heavy winds were encountered, but still 12 dead were recorded and recently Cyclone Okhi, which struck the southern districts of Kerala and Tamil Nadu on November 30 turned out as 'severe' with record of 74 dead and 250 missing people.
The central team also visited on the same fateful day, Dec 26, 2004, when a Tsunami left 172 persons dead in Kollam and Alappuzha districts.