Exactly a year on, India rose to the occasion once again as another cyclone hit the coastlines of its two states, Odisha and Andhra Pradesh. Last year, on October 11, the Category 5 cyclone Phailin made landfall in Odisha, wreaking havoc with a wind speed of 215kmh. It led to the biggest evacuation efforts in India in 23 years as 550,000 people were moved to cyclone shelters and as a result, the death toll was contained at 44. Last Sunday, cyclone Hudhud — with wind speeds peaking at 175kmh — went soft on Odisha and made maximum impact on the coastal city of Vishakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh, claiming 24 lives. Had the state machinery not been proactive, the death toll could have been much higher.
In displaying such alacrity, the two states are showing the way forward in how planning and efficient execution can make all the difference between life and death during natural calamities. It is a lesson other states in India could do well to learn, given that the occurrence of climate-induced disasters are becoming more of a norm than an exception.