How to save 10,000 lives on a budget

I don’t remember where I read the original piece about Odisha’s fantastic cyclone management policy but this article covers the basics. One of the poorest Indian states with a population of 46 million, and an average daily income of <$5 was hit with a terrible cyclone 20 years ago that killed 10,000 people. The state was devastated but enterprising administrators created a set of plans, procedures and infrastructure under a “zero casualty” policy. They didn’t want to lose a single person during a cyclone.

They didn’t quite achieve their goal during Fani in 2019 - 64 people lost their lives. In comparison to the situation 20 years ago, though, that’s a phenomenal success, especially given the tight budgets that the state government had to work with. Cyclones are much more fierce as well, as waters warm due to global climate change.

A record 1.2m people (equal to the population of Mauritius) were evacuated in less than 48 hours, and almost 7,000 kitchens, catering to 9,000 shelters, were made functional overnight. This mammoth exercise involved more than 45,000 volunteers.

The capacity-building approach to state administration clearly seems to have worked well in Odisha, and people seem to trust the rule of law enough that they follow evacuation orders. They know they can come back to their property. In my trip to Odisha in 2017, I remember being most struck by the stark difference as the train crosses the border from Andhra. Ruined houses and abandoned farms replaced the lively fields and tightly bundled village centers of Andhra. I imagined that there must be a lot more going on than what I was seeing in front of me - and our school visit centered around a non-profit organization founded by an activist who fought for tribal rights in the 1970s was truly eye-opening in many ways. While Odisha might lag behind Andhra in optics, the organizational capability and verve of the people is obvious. They want to rebuild a better state every time.

India now sits and waits for the death toll to come in for an epidemic and another cyclone. For now, it seems the numbers are low for Cyclone Amphan, let’s hope it stays that way.