Odisha to establish 500 more cyclone centers and 10 ODRAF teams

Bhubaneswar: Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi today announced that the State government will establish 500 more cyclone centers and 10 Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF) to improve response and management in the face of natural disasters.While addressing the state-level function marking Disaster Preparedness Day and National Day for Disaster Reduction in Bhubaneswar, the CM also said that a state-of-the-art Natural Disaster Management Centre will be constructed in Bhubaneswar and local response teams will be established in every revenue village of the state to bolster immediate disaster response capabilities at the grassroots level.He also said that the government will expand mangrove forests along the coastlines with the aim to enhance coastal resilience.It is to be noted here that the Disaster Preparedness Day and National Day for Disaster Reduction is observed in view of the destruction by the super cyclone Odisha faced on October 29, 1999 in which over 10,000 people were killed.