Remembering the Super Cyclone of 1999

It's another October 29. The people of Orissa remembered the Super Cyclone of 1999 that claimed thousands of lived and rendered lakhs of people homeless. To mark the occasion, the Orissa government observed Disaster Preparedness Day. A two-minute silence was observed by in memory of the people who lost their lives in the super cyclone 8 years ago.

The function was organized by the Orissa State Disaster Mitigation Authority at Jayadev Bhavan. The Disaster Preparedness Day also coincided with the National Day for Disaster Reduction. Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik addressed the function and stressed the need for making the community aware to reduce the impact of different natural disasters.

The Chief Minister added that since 1999, a total of 97 cyclone shelters have been set up in the coastal districts. As many as 8890 primary school buildings have been built that will serve as shelters during natural disasters. Satellite phone facility has been provided to all district headquarters. According to the CM, the number of Rapid Action Force units will be increased soon.

Besides the Chief Minister, Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Manmohan Samal, Women and Child Development Minister Pramila Mallik and Special Relief Commissioner Nikunja Kishore attended the function. The Orissa State Disaster Mitigation Authority has launched a website http://www.osdma.org/ to provide information about natural disasters and the State government's preparedness to cope with different natural calamities.