Tsunami or cyclone, here’s instant alert

Tsunami or cyclone, here’s instant alert
BHUBANESWAR: Disaster warning along the Indian coast is all set for a makeover. Just picture a scenario where a tsunami warning is issued through the public address systems minutes after an earthquake strikes.
To make disaster warning effective, and give vulnerable population more time to respond, a public address system-based mechanism would make its mark in 13 states of the country soon as part of the last mile connectivity programme of National Disaster Mitigation Authority (NDMA) which is, currently, devising the system that will be piloted in Orissa and Andhra Pradesh before being extended to other states.
The system will be automatic and run 24x7. Once an alert is issued, the system will disseminate the information and would require no functional operation at any point, said Project Director of National Cyclone Risk Mitigation Project Dr GSG Aiyangar.
“We’re looking at different states having different sets of geographical frameworks and needs. What Andaman and Nicober needs would be different from that of Orissa. That’s why we are devising a system that caters to all the states,” he said.
Currently in the State Capital to evaluate the proposed Communication Hubs and Last Mile Connectivity Project by the Orissa State Disaster Mitigation Authority (OSDMA), Aiyangar said, the public address system will complement the existing six-layer communication system in place.
The strategy is to prioritise the vulnerable pockets in three tiers and then install the system accordingly. The NDMA is assessing the gaps to finalise where such systems can be located.
“Natural disasters are getting bigger in magnitude and ferocious by the way. We need multi-layered communication approach to take on the calamities,” Special Relief Commissioner Nikunja Sundaray said.
According to Aiyangar, it was the 1999 Super Cyclone which is the benchmark for the challenge that natural disasters present. “We should be prepared to meet the challenges a calamity of that magnitude throws at us,” he said.
Meanwhile, it is the Communication Hubs and Last Mile Connectivity Project of the OSDMA which has caught the attention of NDMA. The project which looks at converting multi-purpose cyclone shelters into communication hubs may form the base of the model that NDMA is working on.
“We have invited the representatives of all the 13 states next week to finalise the model. The communication strategy would be ready in the next 10 days,” Aiyangar said.
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