Bhubaneswar, Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi said on Tuesday that the state government has decided to construct 500 more multi-purpose buildings to shelter people during natural disasters in coastal areas.

Referring to state level activities celebrating Disaster Preparedness Day and National Disaster Reduction Day, he said Odisha and its people have now learned how to deal with the situation arising from cyclones despite the super cyclone in 1999 followed by severe tropical storms in the last 25 years. The years left behind painful memories.

This day is celebrated due to the devastation caused by the super cyclone on October 29, 1999. At least 10,000 people died on this day.

“When the super cyclone hit the Odisha coast in 1999, there were only 21 cyclone shelters in the state. Now there are 844 cyclone shelters in the state and the government has decided to construct 500 more buildings for sheltering people during natural disasters,” Majhi said.

He said human lives were saved due to timely evacuation of people from disaster areas.

“The government will build new buildings that can be used for multi-purpose purposes such as schools, dormitories and shelter in case of disaster,” he said.

In another decision, Majhi said his government has decided to form 10 more teams of Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force, which is very effective in rescuing people during disasters.

There are currently 20 such units in the state, where personnel are trained to rescue people in difficult times.

Majhi said the mangrove forest in Bhitarkanika National Park could effectively counteract and reduce the wind speed during the last severe cyclone Dana, which hit the Odisha coast on the night of October 25.

The Chief Minister said his government has decided to grow more such mangrove forests along the coasts of the state.

The Chief Minister also announced that the state government will soon set up a natural disaster management center in Bhubaneswar to deal with cyclones and floods.

As part of Odisha’s preparedness to deal with natural disasters, Majhi said the state currently has “only 26 coastal tsunami-ready villages”.

These villages are thought to be struggling with the adverse effects of tsunamis, an official said.

“We decided to prepare at least 381 villages along the coastline for tsunami,” he said.

This function was also addressed by Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari, IMD DG Mrtutunjay Mohapatra and other senior officials.

This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to the text.