Defending the State government’s response to the havoc caused by Cyclone Ockhi, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan squarely blamed the Central agencies for the failure to provide warnings in time.
He said the State government had lost no time in taking action once it had received specific inputs.
“On November 28, the Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS) had published an advisory on its website asking fishermen to be cautious while putting out to sea. At this point, the government had received no alert message through email or fax. On November 29, INCOIS issued a communication asking fishers not to venture out to sea. The advisory was carried by some media. At 8.30 a.m. on November 30, an IMD (India Meteorology Department) bulletin said a depression centred 170 km south of Kanyakumari was intensifying into a deep depression. No cyclone warning was issued at this stage, but fishermen were advised not to put out to sea.”
“It was only at 12 noon that the IMD declared a cyclone. Within five minutes, the State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA) alerted all key officials and the media but by that time, a large number of fishers had gone out to sea.”
“By 1 p.m. on November 30, the Navy, Air Force and Coast Guard were alerted and the Army was requested to be on standby. A massive operation was launched to rescue the fishermen missing at sea and steps were taken for evacuation of families from vulnerable areas of the coast. Relief camps were opened to accommodate the affected families,” Mr. Vijayan said.
