Recently, Cyclone Gaja made its landfall between Nagapattinam and Vedaranyam in Tamil Nadu.
How prepared was the State?
Tamil Nadu was more prepared than before to deal with Cyclone Gaja.
More than 15 years ago, efforts were on to professionalise disaster management through a dedicated national and State organisation.
It appears to be paying off, with bureaucracies acquiring higher efficiency in terms of early warning and impact mitigation.
The National Cyclone Risk Mitigation Project was started by the Ministry of Home Affairs.
This has been working to reduce the impact of such catastrophic events on Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu and Gujarat.
Notably, these are classified as States with higher vulnerability; most western coastal States are in the next category.
What were the impact and the State response?
Cyclone Gaja took a toll of at least 45 lives.
The severe cyclonic storm damaged infrastructure, property and agriculture.
It has affected some southern districts, felling tens of thousands of trees and also 30,000 electricity poles along the coast.
It also hit residents in some central Kerala districts.
State Disaster Management Authority issued a stream of alerts ahead of the cyclone.
It helped coastal residents move to camps and adopt safety measures.
State's measures after the cyclone, to clear roads, remove fallen trees and repair power infrastructure and communications, helped restore some stability.
Tamil Nadu’s political parties have acted in a mature manner, keeping partisan criticism aside the relief and rehabilitation works.
The government has to now secure without delay the financial relief.
Rs. 10 lakh has been promised for families of the dead, besides the compensation for lost crops, trees and livestock.
Also, provision of emergency health intervention and rehabilitation assistance to rebuild lives has to be ensured.
What is the way ahead?
India’s coastline experiences a lower frequency of tropical cyclones compared to many other regions.
But the loss of life and destruction is much higher.
Coastal districts must thus continue to strengthen resilience against extreme weather events.
They have to focus on reducing the hazard through policies to upgrade infrastructure and housing.
States have to expand resilient housing, build better storm shelters and create financial mechanisms for insurance and compensation.
