Why in News?

• With the extremely severe cyclonic storm Fani expected to cross the Odisha coast, the State government evacuated over 11 lakh people from low-lying areas in 15 districts.

Details:

• Fani is expected to make landfall
• The cyclone will hit the coast with a maximum sustained wind speed of 170-180 kmph, gusting to 200 kmph.
• As many as 25 teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Odisha Disaster Rapid
• Action Force (ODRAF) along with State fire service personnel have been deployed in the coastal districts

 

National Disaster Response Force (NDRF)

• NDRF stands for National Disaster Response Force It comes under Ministry of Home Affairs
• It is the only dedicated disaster response force in the world Established in 2006
• HQ: New Delhi
• At present there are 12 battalions in NDRF which are deployed strategically across country to provide immediate response.
• 4 new battalions are sanctioned by Union Cabinet.

Role and Mandate of NDRF:

• Specialized response during disasters.
• Proactive deployment during impending disaster situations. Acquire and continually upgrade its own training and skills. Reconnaissance, Rehearsals and Mock Drills.
• Impart basic and operational level training to State Response Forces (Police, Civil Defence and Home Guards).
• Community Capacity Building Programme. Organize Public Awareness Campaigns.

Tropical cyclones

• Tropical cyclones are regarded as one of the most devastating natural calamities in the world. They originate and intensify over warm tropical oceans.
• These are ferocious storms that originate over oceans in tropical areas and move over to the coastal areas causing violent winds, very heavy rainfall, and storm outpourings.