Management of an Extremely Severe Cyclonic Storm –FANI – A case study from India Er. ASHOK BASA Member, Disaster Risk Management Committee ,WFEO Member, Executive Council , WFEO Past President (2014), The Institution of Engineers (India) • INTRODUCTION • TYPICALITY OF (Eastern India) COAST • METEOROLOGICAL HISTORY • PREPAREDNESS • DISASTER EFFECT & IMPACT • RELIEF & RESCUE OPERATION • CAUSES OF SUCESSFUL MANAGEMENT • WAY FORWARD FOR RESILIENCE • CONCLUSION India is one of the most disaster prone countries of the World. The disaster scenario of Indian Sub continent is characterized by its high Vulnerability of physical & socio economic profile. Traditionally the Indian Sub continent has been facing various types of natural calamities, which often turn into disasters, causing huge loss of life & property.

BASIC WIND SPEED ZONES THERE ARE SIX BASIC WIND SPEEDS 'VB' CONSIDERED FOR ZONING, NAMELY 55, 50, 47, 44, 39 AND 33 M/S. FROM WIND DAMAGE VIEW POINT, THESE COULD BE DESCRIBED AS FOLLOWS: 55 M/S (198 KM/H) - VERY HIGH DAMAGE RISK ZONE - A 50 M/S (180 KM/H) - VERY HIGH DAMAGE RISK ZONE - B 47 M/S (169.2 KM/H)- HIGH DAMAGE RISK ZONE 44 M/S (158.4 KM/H)- MODERATE DAMAGE RISK ZONE - A 39 M/S (140.4 KM/H)- MODERATE DAMAGE RISK ZONE - B 33 M/S (118.8 KM/H)- LOW DAMAGE RISK ZONE

THE WHICH IS ADJACENT TO THE EASTERN PART OF ODISHA, POSSESS WARM SEA AND STILL AIR, REQUIRED FOR CYCLONE FORMATION. HAVING THE WORLD’S SHALLOWEST COASTAL WATER, THIS IS ONE OF THE SIXTH MOST CYCLONE PRONE AREAS ON EARTH. ODISHA COAST IS NOT ONLY VULNERABLE TO CYCLONE, BUT ALSO TO STORM SURGE. IT IS ONE OF THE MOST STORM SURGE VULNERABLE REGION OF THE WORLD. SIMILARLY WIND AND CYCLONE HAZARD MAP OF ODISHA REVEALS THAT ALMOST ONE-FOURTH OF THE STATE IS SUBJECT TO VERY HIGH DAMAGE RISK ZONE WITH VELOCITY 50 M/SEC. Landfall of cyclones developed over the Bay of Bengal between 1891 and 2016. (Source: IMD) ONE OF THE REASONS WHY TROPICAL CYCLONES ARE MORE PRONE TO THE BAY OF BENGAL IS THAT ITS SURFACE TEMPERATURE IS MORE THAN THAT OF THE ARABIAN SEA. TROPICAL CYCLONES GENERALLY NEED A TEMPERATURE OF AROUND 28 DEGREES CELSIUS. IN THE LAST CENTURY, OUT OF THE 1019 CYCLONIC DISTURBANCES IN THE INDIAN SUBCONTINENT, 890 WERE ALONG THE EASTERN COAST, AND OF THESE, 260 CYCLONIC DISTURBANCES HAD THEIR LANDFALL ALONG THE ODISHA COAST. THE CYCLONES WHICH HIT THE STATE IN THE LAST TWO DECADES ARE THE 1999 SUPER CYCLONE, PHAILIN 2013 AND TITLI 2018.

Another peculiarity with the Bay of Bengal is that it is known for its potential in generating dangerous high storm tides. When these tides and cyclonic storms coincide, it becomes a major killer. According to the India Meteorological Department, "Out of 10 recorded cases of very heavy loss of life (ranging from about 40,000 to well over 2,00,000) in the world due to tropical cyclones, nine cases were in the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea." Extremely Severe Cyclonic Storm Fani was the strongest to stike Odisha, an eastern state of India since 1999 Odisha Super Cyclone. It commenced from west of Sumatra on 26th April from a Tropical depression. Since its conditions were favorable, it rapidly intensified into an Extremely Severe Cyclonic Storm and reached its peak on 3rd May 2019. 13 The Fani, a rare summer cyclone, hit the Odisha coast close to on 3rd May 2019 between 0800 and 1000 hours. As reported by Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), the maximum sustained surface wind speed of 175–180 kilometres per hour (kmph) gusting to 205 kmph was observed during landfall at Satpada.

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Generally, extremely severe cyclones hit India's east coast in the post-monsoon season (October- December). IMD data on cyclones that hit India between 1965 and 2017 show that the country had come across 39 extremely severe cyclones in these 52 years. Of these, nearly 60 per cent (23) were between October and December. Arrival of Fani in the month of May is an unusual time . What makes Cyclone Fani special is its trajectory. Fani started developing around the Equator and moved upwards. The long journey allowed it to gather a lot of moisture and momentum, resulting in strong winds. Preparedness : Naval Ships & Aircrafts kept ready by at two air bases to face the aftermath of the storm & help the rescue & relief operation.

300 power boats , 02 Helicopters & many chain saws to cut down trees were arranged by the Odisha Government.

18 Preparedness…. 1.55 million people evacuated towards 9,177 shelters in 24 hrs. 25,000 tourists were evacuated by 23 special trains and 18 buses. All fishing activities were suspended two days prior to the landfall. Twenty Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF) units, 335 Fire Service units and 25 units of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) were deployed 19 Preparedness ….. District and Block Emergency Operation Centres were activated 24×7. Nearly 4.5 lakh polythene sheets (temporary shelter materials) were pre-positioned at district/ sub-district levels and 1.5 lakh kept ready for air- dropping after the cyclone. Nearly 600 pregnant women were shifted to Maa Gruhas/ delivery points before the landfall. 20 Preparedness…..

To ensure food security in the aftermath of the cyclone, food grains were pre-positioned at the fair price shops for distribution among beneficiaries under targeted public distribution system (TPDS).

21 Preparedness : Disaster response forces of the Govt were prepositioned in vulnerable locations . Food packets for air droping were made ready for Airforce helicopters to drop to people. Senior Govt. officers were sent to Vulnerable locations for co-ordination. The approach of Govt of Odisha is to have Zero

Casualty. 22 Preparedness ….. More than 45,000 volunteers , 2000 emergency workers , 100,000 officials , youth clubs & other civil society organisations such as National Disaster Response Force(NDRF) , Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF), Panchayat Raj Institute (PRI) agencies worked together round the clock to evacuate 1.55 million people in 24 hrs. It is the largest evacuation program ever done in the World. 23 Disaster Effects and Impact. Fani left 64 dead, affecting about 16.5 million people in over 18,388 villages in 14 of the 30 districts in the state

24 Disaster Effects and Impact…. Approx Population affected 16.5 million. (About 36% of total population of Odisha) Houses damaged 3,61,743 Nos Animals Affected: 3.45 million Poultry birds killed : 0.54 million Agricultural Area affected : 19,734 Ha

25 Disaster Effects and Impact…. Road Sector

Energy Sector

26 Disaster Effects and Impact…. Housing, power, telecommunication, agriculture, livestock, fisheries, and livelihoods were the most affected sectors The assessment estimates the total damage to be worth INR 16,465 crore (USD 2,352 million) and total loss to be worth INR 7,712 crore (USD 1,102 million). The estimated recovery needs are INR 29,315 crore (USD 4,188 million)

27 Relief and Rescue Operations. •Immediately after the landfall, a massive rescue and response operation was launched. •Sixty teams from NDRF, 18 units of ODRAF and 585 fire teams came into action. •Nearly 45,000 volunteers were mobilised to carry out relief operations. •Eastern Naval Command of the Indian Navy also supported the state government in rescue and relief operations. 28 Relief and Rescue Operations…. • About 10,000 food packets were airdropped. • More than 6,000 free kitchens were opened to serve hot cooked meals with the help of the local panchayats and self help groups (SHGs). • Within 48 hours major roads were cleared and power supply restored within two weeks in the major towns of Puri and Bhubaneswar.

29 Causes of Successful Management of FANI. A. Early Warning System (EWS) : India Meteorological Dept has built an effective service to predict accurate timing of cyclone formation in Bay of Bengal & when it will have a land fall in the Indian Coast line. This EWS enables the state to get prepared, For the disaster & steps to be taken to minimise the loss of lives. People also follow the Govt Instructions once warning is issued. 30 Causes of Successful Management of FANI… B. Clear Communication System: Roughly 2.6 million text messages were transmitted to the probable effected area. Regular Press briefings were made. People were advised not to get Panicked.

Dos & Don’ts are clearly communicated.

31 Causes of Successful Management of FANI.. C. Effective coordination of groups : Govt agencies including volunteers & local Communication groups worked together. Disaster response forces of the govt were pre-positioned in vulnerable locations, food packets for air dropping were made ready for air force helicopters to drop to people. Senior govt offices were sent to effected areas for Co-ordination. 32 The successful management of Fani by Govt of Odisha, in India brought in International Praise & Global Appreciation .

33 “India's zero casualty approach to managing extreme weather events is a major contribution to the implementation of the #SendaiFramework and the reduction of loss of life from such events," -Mami Mizutori, -the Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General (SRSG) for Disaster Risk Reduction, and head of the Geneva-based

UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR34 ), Way Forward for Resilience. While the goal of zero mortality is close to realisation, the economic losses in livelihoods and infrastructure have been increasing. The combined economic losses of USD 5.7 billion from recent cyclones, Phailin, Titli, and Fani demonstrates the need to establish a strong framework of disaster risk governance and integrate the principle of resilience in every area of development planning and recovery process to achieve a substantial reduction in the economic losses. 35 Way Forward for Resilience...

It is important to recognise that reducing economic losses due to these disasters is critical to reducing poverty and vulnerability. It requires a continuous support for recovery as well as improving the quality of housing and infrastructure through better building standards and regulations. 36 Way Forward for Resilience…. A recovery programme is the right context for bringing these long-term changes and improving resilience at the household, community, and state levels. As per the latest data available, the Cyclone Fani Damage ,Loss and Needs Assessment (DLNA) estimates the costs of recovery to be USD 4.1 billion.

37 Way Forward for Resilience…. As part of the recovery process, the Government of Odisha has emphasised the need for building resilience across all sectors with a priority in the following sectors: • Housing • Livelihoods • Infrastructure

38 Conclusion. Successful management of any natural disaster involves two important parameters. •Minimizing the loss of life. •Minimizing the loss of Infrastructure & Livelihood . While in India, we have been successful in minimizing the loss of life , we are far away from achieving the goal to minimize the financial loss of infrastructure and livelihood due to repeated occurrence of Natural Disasters. After FANI emphasis is being given for adopting Resilient Housing, Resilient Livelihood & Resilient Infrastructure which will certainly lead to achieve the second parameter39 . 40 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT………

MUCH OF THE MATERIALS FOR THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN COLLECTED FROM DIFFERENT TEXTS PUBLISHED BY OSDMA, NDMA , IMD & DIFFERENT PRINT AND ELECTRONIC MEDIA. WHO ARE BEING ACKNOWLEDGED BY THE AUTHOR. THE AUTHOR , FURTHER WISHES TO ACKNOWLEDGE EVERY OTHER SOURCE WHOSE NAMES ARE NOT MENTIONED (WHICH IS PURELY UNINTENTIONAL), THAT HAS CONTRIBUTED IN PREPARATION OF THIS ARTICLE.