To effectively prepare for an earthquake and other disasters caused by the impact of the earthquake on November 15th, a mock drill will be conducted in all 13 districts of the state. A meeting was held on Wednesday under the chairmanship of Secretary, Disaster Management and Rehabilitation, Vinod Kumar Suman, regarding preparations for the mock drill.
Secretary Suman stated that Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami had directed a state-level mock drill on the earthquake. In light of this, the USDMA has begun preparations for the mock drill. A table-top exercise will be held on November 12th and a mock drill on November 15th. During the table-top exercise, all districts will present their preparedness, including the availability of resources, their deployment, and their plans for the mock drill. The Secretary stated that the state is earthquake-sensitive, with all districts falling within zones four and five.
He added that the number of sirens and sensors is being increased in collaboration with IIT Roorkee. The Bhudev app has been developed, which will send alerts to mobile phones in case of an earthquake of magnitude greater than five. In addition to Additional Secretary Anand Swarup, officials from all districts and experts from various institutions participated in the online meeting.
Preparations to be Tested in Mock Drill
Additional Secretary Disaster Management Anand Swarup stated that the purpose of the mock drill is to assess and strengthen districts’ preparedness, coordination between departments, and response capabilities to deal with earthquakes. Additional Chief Executive Officer (Implementation), DIG Rajkumar Negi, stated that the mock drill will focus on rescue operations after the collapse of multi-story buildings, bridge and flyover collapses, flood relief and rescue operations after a dam failure, a glacial lake outburst, and landslides. The rescue operations, designated routes, transportation resources, and safe locations will be identified. Officials stated that relief camps will be set up during the mock drill. They will be evaluated in real time, ensuring adequate arrangements for electricity, water, food, first aid, infant feeding, and pregnant women
