Institutional Preparedness Against Disasters: A Case Study of Odisha

Abstract

The success of institutional preparedness against disasters lies in minimum casualty, which is largely dependent on the resilience of a community and the ability of its government to work synchronously. Odisha, a relatively small and economically weaker state on the east coast of India exemplifies how institutionalization, inclusive strategy, and its prudent implementation can make the turnaround. In the year 1999, the Super Cyclone left about 20,000 people dead in Odisha! After a decade in 2013 when cyclone Phailin struck Odisha, the state carried out India’s biggest-ever evacuation with about 5 lakh people moved up to safe cyclone shelters within a span of 48 h, resulting in “zero human casualty”!

More than a decade of meticulous planning, institution building, and community engagement helped manage every successive disaster with more professionalism, precision, and faster response. In 2020, when cyclone Amphan battered West Bengal amid the Covid-19 pandemic, Odisha played a major role in the rescue and restoration operations in Kolkata and adjoining areas. Not only managing calamities but also Odisha recorded a spectacular performance in managing the Covid-19 pandemic. Starting with a low resource base and relatively weak infrastructure, the state could build up a massive health infrastructure, trained manpower, and effective response system within a record time! It could supply oxygen to save lives in far-off Delhi and Mumbai!

This chapter showcases Odisha’s success in building a strong disaster-resilient ecosystem and suggests how achieving next-level disaster preparedness requires a change in approach; concerted effort for institutionalization, inclusive strategy, and community engagement.