Cyclone Thane -- Disaster Preparedness and Response

Cyclone Thane was a little out of season. However, for those living in Tamil Nadu, it just added a little more to the weather uncertainties that we have been experiencing in recent times. It crossed the coast on 30th December bringing with it large scale devastation in Puducherry and Cuddalore. This article deals with the impact of the cyclone and some useful lessons learnt right from day one.
While the learnings are interesting, are they important enough to be discussed and incorporated into future action plans? Are the learnings by themselves enough, or are there more hidden facets to the politics of disaster management that mere field level practitioners will not be able to recognize or comprehend? Although the latest responses show some light of hope, we still have a long way to go in understanding the nuances of this elephant called Disaster Management.

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