Twelfth Five Year Plan Tamil Nadu 15.5.DISASTER MANAGEMENT IN TAMIL NADU Introduction practices. Out of 35 States and Union Territories in the Country, 27 are prone to Diverse factors, natural and human different disasters. Tamil Nadu is prone to induced, adverse geo-climatic conditions, multi hazards, higher than other States and topographic features, environmental is frequented by hazards of various nature degradation, population growth, and different intensities. The vulnerability of urbanization, industrialization, unscientific the coastal community became exceedingly development practices etc. play a huge role evident when Tsunami struck the southern in accelerating the intensity and frequency of coast of India. Besides Tsunami, the coastal disasters resulting in huge economic losses community faces disasters like cyclone and human causalities. These, coupled with and floods periodically. Communities in the impact of climate change and climate other hazard prone plains and hilly regions variability, are accentuating disaster impacts of the State face threats from Landslides, and underscore the criticality of promoting Earthquakes and Floods. Urban flooding is disaster-resilience and risk reduction also becoming a growing concern in the State. DISASTER MANAGEMENT Source: Ministry of Home Affairs, GOI 748 Natural Resource Management There has been a paradigm shift in stakeholders and to create awareness among the focus of Disaster Management, from the community members. The State relief response-centric covering rescue, relief, Commissioner is the Member of the State rehabilitation, and reconstruction to laying Disaster Management Authority (SDMA), greater emphasis on the other elements of which has the Honorable Chief Minister as disaster management cycle—prevention, its Chairperson. mitigation, and preparedness—as a means to avert or soften the impact of future At the district level, the District emergencies. The Revenue Administration, Collector has the responsibility for the overall Disaster Management and Mitigation management of disasters. He has the authority Department (RADMMD), is in the process of to mobilize the response machinery and has strengthening disaster management capacity been given financial powers to draw money in the State by providing access to essential under the provisions of the General Financial facilities, creating support systems and Rules/Treasury Codes. All departments of building human capacities. To cope effectively the State Government including the Police, with crisis and emergency situations, the Fire Services, Public Works, Irrigation etc., department coordinates with the other State work in a coordinated manner under the departments, policy makers and technical leadership of the District Collector during institutions to develop well-defined strategies disasters, except in Metropolitan areas where to manage crises and also to mitigate the the Municipal body plays a major role. NGOs risks caused by the same. The Commissioner have also participated in providing relief, of Revenue Administration undertakes all rescue and rehabilitation in recent times. activities relating to Disaster Management and Mitigation besides managing relief and Specific activities undertaken rehabilitation activities of any disaster in the during the Eleventh Five Year Plan State. The Principal Secretary/Commissioner of Revenue Administration is also the Relief State Disaster Management Commissioner of the State. Authority: The Authority has been established with the Hon’ ble Chief Minister The Department places equal as the Chairperson. The details of the other importance on preparedness, response Members of the Authority are given in the and mitigation to develop a robust disaster Annexure 15.5.1. management unit in the State. Information on ‘State of the Art’ technology and equipment State Disaster Management to be used during emergencies are collected Policy was prepared during the year 2003. and necessary actions are being taken to strengthen the control rooms in the State and District Disaster Management districts. Efforts are also on to strengthen emergency management systems at the Taluk Authority: District Disaster Management and Sub-divisional levels. The procedures Authority is notified with the respective and systems pertaining to preparedness District Collectors as the Chairperson. and relief are periodically reviewed and necessary improvements made. Efforts are Disaster Management Plans: A also being taken to train the personnel in the State Disaster Management (DM) Plan has revenue administration to handle complex been prepared and is being updated. District disaster situations to bring down its impact disaster management plans are in place and on human life or property. Further the are periodically updated. Standard operating department also reiterates the necessity to procedures (draft) have been prepared for continuously undertake measures to build chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear capacity among all the disaster management disasters. 749 Twelfth Five Year Plan Tamil Nadu Details of existing Early Warning State level Resource Database: System in the State: Hotline between A database of trained personnel, Disaster Indian Meteorological Department and the Management related studies etc., is being State Emergency Operation Centre (EOC ) is developed. established. Dissemination to the districts is done through telephone and fax. IP phones Capacity building programmes: are also available, which connects the State Sensitization of PRIs / ULBs on disaster with the district headquarters, taluks and management in the districts has commenced. blocks of the State. Wireless radio network; Awareness generation on disaster safe both high Frequency and very high frequency construction is being carried out in engineering are available in the State. colleges. School Safety Programme is also being carried out in selected districts. State Disaster Response Force Programmes are being implemented to create (SDRF) is being constituted by designating awareness on Community Based Disaster Tamil Nadu Special Police (TSP) Battalion Preparedness among vulnerable community II, Avadi as SDRF. Training for the SDRF members. Training of NGOs on Disaster personnel will commence shortly. Management under various programmes are underway. The same has commenced in 3 Districts namely Thiruvallur, Nagapattinam and the Nilgiris and in 2 cities namely Madurai and Thiruchirappalli. Mock drills are conducted for Cyclone, industrial hazards periodically. Information, Education and Communication (IEC) materials produced • Posters: tsunami, cyclone, chemical disasters, fire, lightning, earthquake, Fig.15.5.1: Disaster Response Force flood. demonstrating the measures to be taken to save the people from natural • Pamphlets: Do’s and Don’ts on cyclone, calamities, in Erode floods, landslide, earthquake, tsunami, north east monsoon. • Booklet: Safe Learning – Safe Citizens. • Video documentary: A video documentary has been produced on safe construction. • Social advertisement (video): Short advertisements have been produced on water conservation, energy conservation, fire safety and flood preparedness. Studies carried out in the State and districts in respect of DM including Fig.15.5.2: Disaster response force Hazard Risk Vulnerability Area(HRVA) personnel carrying out a mock drill on • Large-scale Tsunami hazard maps were dealing with industrial accidents at the prepared for all the coastal districts SIPCOT Industrial Estate, Chennai 750 Natural Resource Management of Tamil Nadu. 1:25,000 and 1:5,000 stakeholder approach. NGOs and Civil scale Tsunami hazard maps for the Society Organisations will be involved in coastal districts of Thiruvallur, Chennai, the process to ensure effectiveness and Villupuram, Kancheepuram, Cuddalore, reachability. Nagapattinam and Kanniyakumari were • Emergency Management Exercises are generated. being conducted, especially in cities to • With regard to flood, the risk assessment build the capacities of various stakeholders has been carried out for Chennai City like, doctors, police personnel, fire and by Institute for Remote Sensing, Anna rescue personnel, staff of educational University and Public Works Department institutions and other vital department has attempted in certain pockets of the representatives. State. • Exclusive sensitization programmes on • Risk assessment exercise has been initiated disaster preparedness and management on a pilot basis in a few vulnerable wards are being planned for schools and hospitals of Chennai, The Nilgiris, Tiruchirapalli and • Seminars / Workshops are conducted on Madurai. Similar exercise was undertaken cross cutting themes such as “disaster in selected vulnerable coastal hamlets and management and law”. One said the Nilgiris by the district administration programme was organized jointly with the jointly with the respective community Law University. Similar programmes are members. also organized jointly with Engineering colleges on themes relating to building construction. Twelfth Five Year Plan Tamil Nadu will actively address the causes of vulnerability of the State and its people to uncertainties arising from natural causes, economic downturns, and other man-made reasons and mitigate their adverse effects. Implementing measures to reduce the vulnerability of the State and its residents to unfavourable events (natural Fig.15.5.3 Cyclone-affected people or otherwise) and their consequences, is a receive food at a rehabilitation centre at key objective