Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government conducted its Annual Table-Top and Disaster Management Exercise across all 30 districts on June 18 and 19, 2025, aiming to strengthen preparedness and coordination for disaster response at all administrative levels.
According to an official release, the primary objective of the two-day exercise was to promote a culture of disaster readiness, evaluate the flow of information, test emergency response and evacuation protocols, and identify critical gaps for future improvement.
On June 18, the Table-Top Exercise was held at the district
headquarters, block offices, and urban local bodies across the state. The
exercise involved officials from various government departments, elected
representatives, disaster response forces, non-governmental organizations, and
other stakeholders. Simulated scenarios—including cyclones, heavy rainfall,
floods, landslides, snakebites, lightning, droughts, and tsunamis—were
discussed in detail. Participants reviewed the roles and responsibilities of
different departments and agencies involved in disaster preparedness and
response.
The second phase of the drill, held on June 19, focused on
field-level preparedness. Disaster Management Exercises were conducted
simultaneously at all 909 Multipurpose Cyclone and Flood Shelters across
Odisha. Dummy alerts on cyclonic storms, heavy rainfall, flooding, landslides,
and tsunamis—generated by the India Meteorological Department (IMD)—were
relayed by the State Emergency Operation Centre to the concerned District Emergency
Operation Centres. The alerts were further disseminated to the village level to
initiate mock evacuation procedures.
Villagers, elected representatives, ASHA and Anganwadi
workers, Women Self-Help Group members, Task Force volunteers, Aapda Mitras,
and members of Shelter Management Committees actively participated in the
drill. Teams from the Odisha Fire and Emergency Services, National Disaster
Response Force (NDRF), and Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF) were also
deployed to demonstrate rescue and response activities at various shelter
sites.
Senior officials from the Office of the Special Relief
Commissioner and the Odisha State Disaster Management Authority, along with IMD
officials, nodal officers from multiple government departments, and disaster
response personnel, supervised and coordinated the entire exercise.