Odisha Government Ramps Up Cyclone Readiness, Aims for Zero Casualties

On Friday, the Revenue and Disaster Management Minister, Suresh Pujari, chaired a fire‑drill‑style meeting at the State Emergency Operations Centre in Bhubaneswar. The gathering, which included the chief secretary Anu Garg, senior disaster officials, the Director General of Police, and collectors from districts that could feel the storm’s impact, was anything but a routine sit‑down.

Why the urgency? The India Meteorological Department warned that a low‑pressure trough sitting in the central Bay of Bengal is likely to deepen into a depression by Oct 24, turn into a deep depression on Oct 25 and possibly blossom into a cyclonic storm by the morning of Oct 26. If the forecasts hold, the system will track west‑northwest, brushing the coasts of north Andhra Pradesh and south Odisha over the next couple of days.

“We cannot afford any loss of life,” Pujari said, urging district collectors to activate their contingency plans immediately. Fishermen have already been told to pull their boats ashore, and owners of larger trawlers received stern warnings to keep vessels docked until the sea calms.

The Odisha State Disaster Management Authority (OSDMA) has issued a clear directive: locate every family living in low‑lying pockets and shift them to designated cyclone shelters. Those shelters are being stocked with basic comforts – clean drinking water, dry rations, and enough bedding to keep people dry during heavy rain.

Special care is being given to pregnant women and newborns. Health officials are mapping out expectant mothers whose due dates fall within the danger window, arranging for them to be moved to district headquarters hospitals or to shelters that have been equipped with delivery kits, backup generators and on‑call medical teams.

In parallel, the health department is loading emergency medicine kits, mobilising mobile health squads and ensuring that power‑backup systems are in place at every shelter. The aim is simple and uncompromising: zero casualties.

Rainfall is expected to begin early on Oct 26, with heavy to very heavy downpours forecast for Puri, Ganjam and Gajapati on Oct 27. Alerts have also been issued for Bhadrak, Kendrapada, Jagatsinghpur, Mayurbhanj, Baleswar, Kendujhar, Rayagada, Koraput, Malkangiri, Kalahandi and several other districts.

To keep the public informed, the government is leveraging WhatsApp, local radio and other mass‑communication channels, urging people not to spread rumors and to follow official bulletins. Meanwhile, the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF) and fire‑service teams stand ready for rapid deployment.

Officials ended the meeting with a final plea: stay vigilant, cooperate with authorities and trust the information that comes from verified sources. The hope is that, with everyone playing their part, the approaching storm will pass without a single casualty.