Ready for the worst – Governments and agencies have shown better preparedness for cyclones

Source: The post is based on an article “Ready for the worst – Governments and agencies have shown better preparedness for cyclones” published in The Hindu on 13^th December 2022.

Syllabus: GS 3 – Disaster Management

Relevance: measures needed to reduce the impact of cyclones

News: Cyclone Mandous did not cause much damage to the people of Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh even though it led to heavy rainfall.

What were the reasons behind less damage by the cyclone?

It was the response of the government official that controlled and guided the disaster management that lessened the impact of the cyclone.

The Tamil Nadu government has been paying greater attention in improving the storm-water drain network and such other works. This was one of the reasons that many areas were not flooded.

The State government’s coordination with the Meteorological Department and its preparedness in tackling the post-landfall situation made a difference to the situation this time.

Technology also played a key role in forecasting and in the circulation of the information.

What is the way ahead?

There is a need for the State government and the Meteorological department to coordinate and work together by leveraging technology, resources and improving the functioning to lessen the impact of cyclones in the future.