Disaster Management In Odisha To Be Disabled Friendly

Bhubaneswar: Taking into consideration the special needs and vulnerability of persons with disabilities and mainstreaming their needs into disaster management, the Odisha State Disaster Management Authority (OSDMA) has decided to open a cell for them.

This was decided in a meeting presided over by Bishnupada Sethi, managing director, OSDMA at the State Secretariat on Tuesday.

The cell would look into the special needs of the persons with disabilities during the evacuation, search and rescue, rehabilitation and resettlements. It will make networking with the government and private organizations and prepare a database of persons with disabilities and disabilities persons’ organisations in the state and prepare plans accordingly.

Imparting training on special care to be given to the persons with disabilities during evacuation and search and rescue for response forces like ODRAF, NDRF, Red Cross, Civil Defence and community-level task forces volunteers would be another prime objective of the cell.

Besides, all multipurpose cyclone and flood shelters would be made disabled-friendly by the cell.