Vikash Sharma

Bhubaneswar: Odisha is prone to multiple and recurring natural disasters and despite being so vulnerable the State is well prepared to face any situation, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said on Friday.

While addressing the State-level disaster management committee meeting, Patnaik directed all the departments and senior officials to strictly adhere to the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) which has been prepared by drawing lessons from the past natural disasters.

“Odisha has learnt from past disasters and tried to improve its response mechanism. This continuous process of learning and improving disaster response received accolades from different quarters,” said Patnaik.

The southwest Monsoon has already set in on time this year in Odisha. Besides, the period from June to October is crucial for the State owning to the fact that several natural disasters like droughts, cyclones and floods may occur. Hence, we need to augment our resources and review our preparedness to tackle such natural disasters, said Patnaik.

“Our preparedness should be dynamic, holistic and participatory. Advance preparations, long term mitigation and fast response forms the core principles of our approach and Odisha is one of the pioneers in institutionalising community-based preparations. Our community-based response has been greatly useful in COVID-19 management. I direct all the departments and functionaries to follow the SOP and remain prepared,” Patnaik added.

(Edited By Bikram Keshari Jena)

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