By Our Correspondent
BHUBANESWAR: Tens of thousands were on Tuesday remembered their near and dears who lost their lives in 1999 Super Cyclone that ravaged Odisha.The entire State was badly hit with coastal pocket felt the heat more. The theme, this year, is empowering community for disaster resilience.
Remembering the tragedy, Odisha Disaster Preparedness Day’ and ‘National Day for Disaster Risk Reduction’ were observed by Odisha State Disaster Management Authority (OSDMA) at Rabindra Mandap here.
It may be mentioned here that Odisha Disaster Preparedness Day is observed October 29 every year to remember the 1999 Super Cyclone that devastated Odisha and to strengthen the state government’s resolve to prepare for any disaster that may take place in future.
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Sudam Marndi graced the state level preparedness day. Patnaik said Odisha has set a benchmark in disaster preparedness and has received appreciation from all over the world.
Chief Secretary Asit Tripathy said the central and the state governments are constructing three lakh houses in Puri and Khurdha districts for affected people. “The government is preparing strong infrastructure in cyclone prone areas such as strong housing and power resilience infrastructure,” he added.
Tripathy also said that the state is currently better prepared but the task at hand is not completed. Further, he asked IMD director general Mrutyunjaya Mohapatra to facilitate better radars to monitor the weather.
