Reports about Cyclone Ockhi are pouring in. The severe storm has claimed at least 16 people in South Tamil Nadu and Kerala as of December 1. Another potential cyclone formation is gathering momentum near the Andamans, which may reach Indian East Coast on late Monday. The beginning of December, unwillingly, brings the traumatic memory of 2015 floods, followed by the 2016 cyclone in Tamil Nadu, especially in Chennai. However, after 12 years of national Disaster Management Act (2005) and two consecutive disasters wreaked havoc, Chennai, at last, gets its own disaster management plan. The plan has swiftly been posted in the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) website without much noise at the beginning of northeast monsoon here (between last week of October and first week of November). Better late than never.
City Disaster Management Plan not a comprehensive document
The plan is the right step by the GCC to dispel much criticism of its inability to manage disasters or make Chennai ‘truly disaster-resilient’. The City Disaster Management Plan-2017 (CDMP), prepared by the GCC, is a logical first step to build the confidence among citizens to establish preparedness of the city administration for disasters. However, the availability of the plan only in English and not in Tamil language has defeated the very purpose of making it. Despite both rich and poor being affected in December deluge two years ago, the GCC seems to cater to the minuscule section of society in Chennai who had been cosmetically vocal against GCC.
Two years down the memory lane, it is apt to say that not all citizens have the ability or capacity to be resilient to disasters-both natural and man-made.
[...]