Cyclone Hudhud: How to avoid another disaster

For a country that has just sent a spacecraft to Mars, India should be much better prepared for disasters such as Cyclone Hudhud. More so, because the country regularly experiences the onslaught of such natural disasters that can be tracked and predicted for days before they cause damage.

The use of hi-tech approaches as well as experimental, low-tech methods of reducing risk from disasters, have proved effective the world over and should be adopted by India as well.

For instance, cell phones and SMS-based technologies are being employed globally to reduce the risk from a variety of disasters. Users can register their mobile numbers with the Integrated Tsunami Watcher Service that links seismic monitoring centres with those at risk of tsunamis to provide real time information over SMS. A similar system for cyclones adopted and promoted by our government can significantly help build resilience among our coastal communities.

Another great initiative in Bangladesh entailed the recruitment of volunteers across the country’s highly exposed coastline. Each volunteer is charged with taking care of a specified group of people whom they have to rush to the nearest cyclone shelter, as soon as they receive a warning on a simple, government issued radio.

This has contributed to a dramatic decline in deaths from 500,000 in one cyclone in 1974 before the network was in place, to 193 deaths in 1997 when a storm of the same magnitude hit the same region. While similar programmes are underway in pockets of our exposed coastline, they need to be scaled up and supported on a top-priority basis.  

Discrete actions are vitally important but ensuring that disaster risk is streamlined across various sectors of development is absolutely critical. This could include the revision and enforcement of building codes to take a higher degree of disaster risk into account so that that critical infrastructure does not collapse.

This would ensure that a vital transport hub, such as Vishakhapatnam Airport that has suffered major damage from Hudhud, continues to facilitate the flow of emergency relief the next time a cyclone hits the city.

Another way of integrating risk reduction could entail that the schools in hazardous parts of the country instruct students in appropriate measures of dealing with disasters.

A great example of this comes from a flood-prone region of Vietnam, where local schools made swimming lessons mandatory for all pupils to ensure that they have some level of training to deal with a hazard that they were all exposed to. Perhaps similar rules on recognising the early signs of cyclonic winds and following established protocols of staying safe will help prevent needless deaths from the Hudhuds of the future.

Government subsidies could also play a vital role in seamlessly reducing risk, for instance, official support for diversifying sources of income for farmers in disaster-prone regions could help ensure that millions don’t dip into poverty after disasters.

For example, poultry farmers in parts of Bangladesh were suffering major losses from erratic floods and therefore received support to also rear ducks along with chickens. The ducks were obviously better able to survive flood events and so even if the chickens didn’t make it, the farmers had something to fall back on!

This apart, it is of course now a truism that resolving development deficits, eradicating poverty and promoting good governance is the surest way to reducing the vulnerability of people to disasters.

Finally, as Maharashtra and Haryana go to polls, it is important for the politicians to keep in mind that readiness for disasters yields political rewards whereas, poor preparedness can lead to proportionate rebukes from the electorate.

Anecdotally, many believe that the story of Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik’s third term in office is closely tied to the story of the dramatic improvements in his state’s ability to successfully deal with cyclones.

In 1999 (one year before Patnaik assumed office), a super cyclone claimed the lives of 10,000 residents but consistent action at the state level ensured that a major storm such as Hurricane Phailin that tore into the state in 2013 led to almost no casualties.

On the other hand, after the September 1985 earthquake in Mexico City, the government’s limited risk reduction and preparedness led to political protests, with more than 40,000 people marching on the presidential palace, changing the course of its political narrative. From the US to Japan, such examples of voters rejecting regimes that do not put disaster risk reduction high on the national agenda, abound.

None of this is to suggest that our government has done nothing to protect its citizens from disasters, from playing a major role is setting up the regional Tsunami Early Warning System to establishing a National Disaster Management Authority - a lot has been done clearly but clearly a lot remains.